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Category: Music History and Appreciation

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Let’s Go to the Movies!: James Bond

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This week's blog post examines the music from the James Bond films through the years and provides resources available from the NLS Music Section.

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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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19th-Century Tactile Music Notation in Spain

Posted by: Lindsay Conway

Did you know that systems of tactile music notation were created in the 19th century to enable people who were blind to read and write music? Today, we will learn about two systems that were developed and used in Spain before braille music code gained widespread adoption in the 20th century.

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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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New BARD Additions: August 2022

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Today's blog post rounds up all the new digital acquisitions and digitized items added to BARD in August 2022 by the NLS Music Section.

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New BARD Additions: July 2022

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Today's blog post rounds up all the new digital acquisitions and digitized items added to BARD in July 2022 by the NLS Music Section.

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Junior Fellows Enhance Discoverability of Music Resources Related to Blind Musicians–Part 2

Posted by: Lindsay Conway

This is a guest blog post by Library of Congress Junior Fellow Analisa Caso. Analisa describes her contributions to the NLS Music Section during the 10-week-long program.

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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.