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Category: Piano Music

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Song Stories: Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday”

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we learn the story behind Stevie Wonder's song, "Happy Birthday."

Posted in: African American History month, Black History Month, Blind Musicians, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Instrumental Music, Library of Congress, Music Composition, Musical instruments, NLS Music Section, Piano, Piano Instruction, Piano Music, Pop Music, Popular Music, Popular Music Lead Sheets, Singing, Soul Music, Stevie Wonder, Talking Books, Voyager Catalog

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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."

Posted in: Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Braille Music Digitization, Classical Music, Folk Music, History, Instrumental Music, Large Print, Large Print Music, Library of Congress, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, Performing music, Piano, Piano Instruction, Piano Music, Talking Books, Uncategorized, Virtuosic Piano Music

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Remembering Ned Rorem

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

Ned Rorem, who passed away last month at the age of 99, left behind a wealth of music and literature. For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, learn more about Rorem's life and creative works.

Posted in: Aaron Copland, American Composers, Arias, Art Songs, Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Carnegie Hall, Choral, Classical Music, History, Interviews, Leonard Bernstein, Library of Congress, Libretto, Lieder, Music and Art, Music Composition, Ned Rorem, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Piano, Piano Music, Pulitzer Prize, Ravel, Singing, Song settings, teachers, Uncategorized, Violin music, Vocal music, Voyager Catalog

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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.

Posted in: Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Classical Music, Large Print, Large Print Music, Library of Congress, Music and Art, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Orchestra, Paris, Piano, Piano Music, Program Music, Uncategorized

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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."

Posted in: American Printing House for the Blind, Arias, Art Songs, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Circulation, Classical Music, Free Braille Music Scores, Guest Post, Instrumental Music, Library of Congress, Lieder, Louis Braille, Marrakesh Treaty, Music and Art, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, Musical instruments, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Performing music, Piano, Piano Instruction, Piano Music, Song settings, Uncategorized, Virtuosic Piano Music, Voyager Catalog

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American Music from A to Z in the NLS Music Collection: I—Charles Ives and the Concord Sonata

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

As we continue our A to Z journey through the NLS Music Collection, we take a closer examination of the Piano Sonata no. 2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-1860" by Charles Ives, otherwise known as the "Concord Sonata."

Posted in: Aaron Copland, American Composers, Art Songs, Audio, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Braille Music Digitization, Classical Music, Large Print, Large Print Music, Leonard Bernstein, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Online Catalog, Orchestra, Piano, Piano Music, Song settings, Uncategorized, Virtuosic Piano Music

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Hidden Gems of the NLS Collection: Francis “Frank” Johnson

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

For this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we look at the incredible life of Francis "Frank" Johnson (1792-1844). Celebrate Black History Month with us as we pay tribute to an African American composer, band leader, and pioneer.

Posted in: African American History month, American Composers, Band, Black History Month, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Classical Music, Large Print, Large Print Music, March, Music Composition, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Piano, Piano Music, Talking Books, Uncategorized

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New BARD Additions: December 2021

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

In this week's NLS Music Notes blog post, we bring you the latest offerings that have been added to BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download). Please enjoy this musical feast, and Happy Holidays from the NLS Music Section!

Posted in: Art Songs, Audio, Bach, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Braille Music Digitization, Braille Technology, Broadway, Choral, Classical Music, Country Music, Electric guitar, Flute, Free Braille Music Scores, Guitar, Hammond organ, Horn, Instrumental Music, Interviews, Jazz, Johnny Cash, Juvenile Music, Latin American Music, Latin Jazz, Lieder, Louis Braille, Marrakesh Treaty, Music Composition, Music Education, Music History and Appreciation, Music Instruction, Musical instruments, New Acquisitions, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Opera, Orchestra, Organ, Performing music, Piano, Piano Instruction, Piano Music, Popular Music, Ravel, saxophone, Smithsonian Folkways, Song settings, Soul Music, Talking Books, Uncategorized, Violin music, Virtuosic Piano Music, Vocal music

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American Music from A to Z in the NLS Music Collection: E—Eastman School of Music

Posted by: Brian McCurdy

In our alphabetical journey through the NLS Music Collection, we have arrived this month at the letter E. 2021 is the centennial of the founding of one of the world's leading music schools, the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. Composers, educators, performers, and other music pioneers from this prestigious institution are represented far and wide throughout our holdings.

Posted in: Aaron Copland, American Braille, American Composers, Audio, Band, Braille, Braille and Audio Reading Download BARD, Braille Music, Broadway, Choral, Classical Music, Instrumental Music, Jazz, Large Print, Large Print Music, Marrakesh Treaty, Music Composition, Music Education, Music History and Appreciation, NLS Music Section, NLS Online Catalog, Orchestra, Performing music, Piano, Piano Music, Soundtrack, Uncategorized, Voyager Catalog