Erik Satie wrote wonderfully simple, clear, straight-forward and popular music, that beautifully contrasted the heavy 19th century music and the impressionist sounds of the time. Check out this blog and borrow some of the NLS Music materials to learn more!
The following is a post about the upcoming Veterans History Project (VHP) virtual discussion panel, “Motherhood and the Military.” Watch the Folklife Today blog for an upcoming post from Motherhood and the Military panelist Rue Mayweather on May 4th. This second Sunday in May has been set aside for our nation to remember and celebrate […]
For this week's NLS Music Notes blog, learn more about one of the hidden gems in our collection: Paul Hindemith's "Six Chansons."
Communication during war is essential and during World War I the U.S. Army needed switchboard operators. More importantly, they also needed operators who spoke French and English fluently.
Hello to potential explorers of the Veterans History Project (VHP) archive! We’re so excited that you’re considering taking part in the American Folklife Center’s newest version of the Archive Challenge. VHP’s collections are nothing if not inspirational, and you are sure to find a wealth of material–everything from epic poems to wartime love letters and […]
In the first year of WWI an official truce for Christmas failed. But a sudden rise of the Christmas Spirit created a phenomenon—the soldiers decided not to fight on Christmas day. British and German soldiers left the trenches to celebrate together.
Andrew Huber, a liaison specialist in the Veterans History Project, tells what it's like to help veterans tell their stories.
The last Sunday in September marks Gold Star Mothers and Family’s day- a day for our nation to show our profound gratitude and respect for the families of our fallen. Last year, the Library of Congress invited Gold Star families to join us so that we could celebrate the lives, service and love of their […]
France, Brazil, and the United States: Learn about Darius Milhaud's major musical inspirations.
The concluding part of this two-part survey of music and disease looks at examples that arose from pandemics in the 19th and 20th centuries, including: works by Stephen Foster and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel written in the wake of a series of cholera outbreaks, and the sometimes curiously lighthearted musical response to the 1918 influenza pandemic.
