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Posted by: John Hanson
The following is a guest blog by Donna Koh, Music Reader Services Librarian This blog is for those classical music lovers who marvel at the beauty and versatility of the human voice but find many operas overdramatic, long and overwhelming. If I may make a confession, I am one of those music lovers. Fortunately for …
Posted in: Art Songs, Braille Music, Lieder, Music History and Appreciation, Piano
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
Since my last blog on Christmas Eve, January 2016 is here and almost gone! I was casting about for a blog subject, and while not everyone is experiencing a snowy winter, I would like to suggest it might be a good time to settle in and listen to some original artists in the folk field. …
Posted in: Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Folk Music, Music History and Appreciation, New Acquisitions, Popular Music
Posted by: Amanda Smith
Early winter has been unusually warm in Washington D.C. But now the temperature has finally come down, and it is in the teens and twenties. Recently, when I stopped to reflect on the idea of this year’s changing season, I thought of Vivaldi’s work of four violin concerti, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons). Each …
Posted in: Braille Music, Music History and Appreciation, Performing music, Piano Music
Posted by: Katie Rodda
I hope everyone out there had a relaxing and peace-filled holiday season. Now that the year is almost through, it’s time to look ahead to 2016 and the new beginnings that await us there. In keeping with that spirit, this blog will highlight some of the newest braille and digital talking books that have been …
Posted in: Audio, Bluegrass, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Folk Music, Guitar instruction, Instrumental Music, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, New Acquisitions, NLS Music Section, Orchestra, Performing music, Piano, Popular Music, Recordings
Posted by: Amanda Smith
Ludwig van Beethoven was a prolific and music-history-altering composer. Today we celebrate his life on the anniversary of his baptism, which is the closest date we have to knowing his actual birth day. I can remember, as a young pianist, that Beethoven’s Für Elise was the first “real” piece I learned to play outside of …
Posted in: Music History and Appreciation, Piano
Posted by: Katie Rodda
Although motion pictures are, for all intents and purposes, a visual art form, one can still appreciate the music from those films on their own without the movie-going experience. For this I am grateful, as, being more drawn to music than film (and having limited spare time to catch all the movies that I’d like …
Posted in: American Composers, Audio, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Instrumental Music, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Piano, Popular Music, Popular Music Lead Sheets, Recordings, Talking Books
Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins
Hopefully, everyone has arrived or on their way “over the hills and through the woods to Grandmother’s house” by the time this blog is posted, preparing to spend time with family and friends and give thanks on this special holiday, and one of my favorites. I would like to give thanks to the idea that …
Posted in: American Composers, Audio, Braille Music, Music History and Appreciation
Posted by: Amanda Smith
Chicago is on my mind. How is it that some places, more than others, capture your heart? Like many who dream of the mesmerizing hum of New York City, I am enamored with Chicago. In Chicago, railcars rumble just feet above your head on open air tracks; their squealing brakes are a reminder of earlier century steam …
Posted in: Blues, Jazz, Music History and Appreciation, Popular Music Lead Sheets
Posted by: Amanda Smith
Recently, I discovered that September is the birth month of Blind Lemon Jefferson, a tried and true guitar player and singer who is celebrated in the American folk-blues world. It’s been awhile since I’ve celebrated a musician’s birthday on this blog, by writing a post about their career and lasting accomplishments. I can’t resist the …
Posted in: Blind Musicians, Blues, Music History and Appreciation, Popular Music