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Category: Music History and Appreciation

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New BARD Additions: December 2024

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This month, the NLS Music Section has added many new titles to BARD (Braille Audio Reading Download). All of these selections are ready to be enjoyed on your computer or smart device, and can downloaded right now on the BARD app! Read on to find out about our latest additions!

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New BARD Additions: June 2024

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This month, the NLS Music Section has added many new titles to BARD (Braille Audio reading Download). Read on to find out about the latest offerings that include guitar and piano lessons by Bill Brown, "Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift in lead sheet format, and Preludes for piano by Olivier Messiaen.

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: Béla Bartók’s “Allegro Barbaro”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This week, learn more about how ancient dialects influenced the composition of one of Bela Bartok's most famous works, "Allegro Barbaro."

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Song Stories: Camille Saint-Saëns and “Danse macabre”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we take a deep dive into a piece that is often associated with the October tradition of Halloween: "Danse macabre" by Camille Saint-Saëns.

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, learn more about one of our newest items acquired via the Marrakesh Treaty: Francis Poulenc's Sonata for Flute and Piano. Commissioned by the Library of Congress and dedicated to Jean-Pierre Rampal , the Sonata has become a standard in the repertoire.

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Song Stories: Woody Guthrie’s “Dust Bowl Ballads”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

Born on July 14, 1912, Woody Guthrie earned the nickname "The Dust Bowl Troubadour" with the 1940 release of "Dust Bowl Ballads." In this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, learn more about the most successful album of Guthrie's career and how it influenced a new generation of artists.

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Schumann’s Character Pieces

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes Blog post, our Braille Music Specialist Timothy Jones discusses Robert Schumann and one of his sets of Character Pieces for piano, "Scenes from Childhood."

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: The Life and Music of Muddy Waters

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, our "Hidden Gems" series takes us to the Mississippi Delta as we learn about the life and music of Muddy Waters.

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It’s National Library Week!

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

This week we are celebrating National Library Week! This year's Honorary Chair, Molly Shannon, honors the work of her favorite librarian--her mother. Read on to learn more about the history and importance of National Library Week.