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Archive for the Piano Music Category (37 posts)

Happy Birthday Samuel Coleridge-Taylor!

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British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born on August 15th in 1875. One of the more popular composers in England and the United States during the turn of the 20th century, he composed many works for choir, piano, and larger instrumental ensembles; however, his works are seldom performed today.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was born in London to Englishwoman Alice Hare Martin and Dr. Daniel Peter Hughes Taylor, a man of Creole descent from Sierra Leone. He was raised in Croydon, Surrey, in a home containing many family musicians. In 1890, at age 15, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor began studies at the Royal College of Music. Originally studying the violin, he switched to composition under the tutelage of Charles Villiers Stanford. He then went on to become a professional musician, both teaching music at the Crystal Palace School of Music and conducting the orchestra at the Croydon Conservatoire.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, photograph taken in 1901 by Henry John Kempsell (1867-1925).

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, photograph taken in 1901 by Henry John Kempsell (1867-1925).  This photo shared from the National Archives, UK, and is in the public domain. 

By the late 1890’s, his composition garnered wider appreciation, and after his Ballade in A minor was performed at the Three Choirs Festival (thanks in part to the lobbying efforts of Edward Elgar) his works became commonplace concert repertoire. One of his most famous works, the cantata Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast, based on poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, became one of the most popular choral works of its time in England, rivaled only by Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Handel’s Messiah. During this time, he went on tour in America three times, where he was met with praise and admiration for his compositions. He was so popular, even two public schools in the United States (one in Louisville, Kentucky, and one in Baltimore, Maryland) were named after him.

However, his popularity did not translate to wealth, as the composer had sold the publishing rights (and therefore the royalties) for some of his most famous pieces, including Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. He died of pneumonia at the young age of 37, which has sometimes been attributed to the stress he was under due to his financial situation. Below you will find the pieces in the NLS Music Collection composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Choir
Viking Song (BRM04048)
Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast (BRM04030)
The Death of Minnehaha (BRM03754)

Voice
On-away, awake, beloved!, for tenor (from Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast) (BRM03960)
Life and Death, for medium voice (BRM09478)
Willow Song, for voice (BRM11418)
Eleanor, for voice in C (BRM01988)
Viking Song, for soprano and alto duet (BRM02821)
Oh, the Summer, for soprano and alto duet (BRM02820)

Piano
Petite Suite de Concert (BRM05722)
– Le Caprice de Nanette (BRM07388)
– Un Sonnet d’amour (BRM07387)

Othello Suite (BRM02480)

4 African Dances (arranged for the Piano), op. 58
– No. 1 (BRM23416)
– No. 2 (BRM06082)

Three Dream Dances (BRM09099)
Deep River, op. 59 no. 10 (BRM08220)
Moorish Dance, op. 55 (BRM35846)
Four Characteristic Waltzes, op. 22 (BRM01197)
Scenes from an Imaginary Ballet, op. 74 (BRM23951)

Please contact the Music Section if you’d like these pieces, or have any questions about other materials in the collection!

New BARD Additions: July 2018

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Read this blog and discover new materials, recorded and braille, now available from the NLS Music Section. Audio Materials All of the following are productions of Bill Brown. Banjo American Pie.  Teaches this Don McLean song without the use of music notation.  (DBM03915) Piano Bless the Broken Road. Teaches how to play “Bless the Broken […]

Nashville Sound: Hargus “Pig” Robbins

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Hargus “Pig” Robbins might be the most famous piano player you’ve never heard of, though you’ve likely heard his work. The National Conference of Librarians Serving Blind and Physically Handicapped Individuals will begin in a matter of days in Nashville, Tennessee, so today I want to tell you about a musician who is blind and […]

What’s New on BARD?

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We’re happy to learn that our patrons are increasingly using BARD to download music materials. Let’s take a look at some new additions to BARD:   Audio Materials Classic Harmonica Blues by Smithsonian Folkways (DBM03629) Cowboy Songs by Smithsonian Folkways. (DBM03627) Flirting with Disaster. For guitar. Performed and taught by Bill Brown. (DBM03887) The Hammer […]

American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: E (Part 1 – Ellington, Duke)

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Continuing our series of American composers from A to Z, we come to the letter E. Personally, I can think of no better example than Duke Ellington. I consider him to be one of the first great quintessential “American” composers of his time, who wrote music in a true American idiom, rather than copying Western […]

Carnegie Hall of the South: Nashville’s Musical Legacy, Part 2

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This is the second half of a two-part post on Nashville’s musical history and related books in the NLS Music Collection. Read the first part here: Athens of the South: Nashville’s Musical Legacy, Part 1. Nashville’s most famous music venue, the Ryman Auditorium, was completed in 1892 and was originally a church called the Union […]

American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: D (Part 2 – Davis, “Blind” John and Dranes, Arizona)

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Blind John Davis Blind John Davis was born in Mississippi in 1913, but moved to Chicago with his family at a young age.  He lost his sight shortly thereafter at age 9. He began to learn the piano as a teen, and later became a regular session musician for famous blues record producer Lester Melrose […]

Music City 101: NLS Heads to Nashville!

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Last month country music legend Dolly Parton joined Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden in a presentation to celebrate the achievements of Parton’s book-gifting organization (video of the event available here). They announced that the Library of Congress Young Readers Center is partnering with Parton’s charity to provide a special series of story time events. […]

American Composers and Musicians from A to Z: D (Part 1 – Dello Joio, Norman)

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Norman Dello Joio (born Nicodemo DeGioio) was born in New York City in January 1913. His father and grandfather had been church musicians, and Norman was set to follow their footsteps, as he became the organist and choir director at age 14. When he was 26, he received a scholarship to attend Julliard, where he […]

Immortal Swing: The Music of Glenn Miller

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While thinking about a topic for this week’s blog post, I made a happy discovery: American bandleader and musician Glenn Miller shares a birthday with Frédéric Chopin! Although these two musicians come from very different places and eras, they do share another thing in common besides a birthday: memorable music. We’ll talk about Glenn Miller […]