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Category: Piano

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Happy Birthday Nino Rota

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 …

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Bill Irwin & “A Light History of Piano Jazz”

Posted by: Katie Rodda

The NLS Music Section has recently acquired another new title by popular and prolific contributor, Bill Irwin. Patrons of the Music Section, and followers of this blog, may already be aware of Mr. Irwin’s background. If you wish to read more about Bill Irwin, please check out our blog post from June of last year, …

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Justin Kauflin Redux

Posted by: John Hanson

We have written – more than once – about Music Section patron Justin Kauflin. Last October, Justin performed a wonderful jazz set at the Library of Congress celebrating 50 years of service by the NLS Music Section, and demonstrating his prowess and creativity at the keyboard. Thanks to technology, Justin’s performance can now be heard …

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NLS Music Section Hits the Road–Performing Outreach

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

I have always considered the NLS Music Section’s home base in Washington D.C. as a very fine perk of my job. There are numerous opportunities for concerts with great venues such as Kennedy Center, the Strathmore, our own home at the Library of Congress and (according to me) the jewel in the crown of museums, …

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NLS Presents Justin Kauflin

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Next week, on October 22, the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) will present a concert by jazz pianist and NLS patron Justin Kauflin in the Coolidge Auditorium at 7:15 p.m. The performance is a celebration of 50 years of the Music Section, which provides braille scores and …

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Some Splendid Saint-Saëns Selections

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Today we celebrate the 179th birthday of Camille Saint-Saëns, a famous French composer, most well-known for his works The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, and a number of other pieces. Saint-Saëns began his musical studies at the incredible age of three, while he was living with his mother and aunt in …

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“Away with Harmony as the Cement of my Architecture!”: Arnold Schoenberg at 140

Posted by: Katie Rodda

This Saturday, Arnold Schoenberg celebrates his 140th birthday. All those who have studied music have come across Schoenberg’s compositions in one way or another, and whether they love, despise, or are intrigued by his works, it’s undeniable that Schoenberg had an enormous impact on 20th and 21st century art music. I must admit, I have …

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We’re Not Always About Long-Haired Music; an Introduction to Popular Music Lead Sheets

Posted by: Mary Dell Jenkins

When you say the word music, people usually agree that they like it. In fact, I’ve never heard anyone say anything else; and if they didn’t like music, that would be a sad day for me.  But, music covers a lot of territory, and people have their reasons for liking or identifying with what appeals to …

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“Take Five”…and Check Out Our Jazz Titles

Posted by: Katie Rodda

Although the majority of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) Music Section’s collection deals with classical music, we also have a wide array of materials dedicated to the great American art form–jazz. In this blog post, I will detail some of the special format materials in our collection that jazz …