Top of page
Posted by: Pat Padua
Next week, the Music Division’s popular jazz film series returns to the Mary Pickford Theater. Senior Reference Specialist and In the Muse blogger Larry Appelbaum curated the series and provided program notes. Monday evenings at 7:00 pm – Mary Pickford Theater, 3rd Floor, James Madison Building. No tickets or reservations needed. Limited seating begins at 6:30pm. …
Posted in: Film Music, Jazz
Posted by: Pat Padua
The following is a guest post by Senior Cataloging Specialist Sharon McKinley. The Library of Congress has amazing depth in its holdings of sheet music, thanks in large part to Copyright deposits. It’s Showtime is a database of excerpts from operas, musicals and musical revues, films, and more. You’ll find over 18,000 shows and productions …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
Safeguarding a collection as rare and valuable as that housed in the Music Division is an incredible responsibility, and one that carries with it difficult challenges. In my opinion, the single biggest issue facing archivists and librarians today is how to best preserve our cherished materials while simultaneously providing access to the many performers and …
Posted in: Digital Collections, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Continuing Wednesday’s puppy theme and expanding our range of species is this week’s featured sheet music, from the composer of last week’s “Baby Elephant Waltz.” The August 1921 Etude, a serial issued by music publisher Theodore Presser, tells us that Pierre Latour was the nom de plume of one E. Mack, who presumably thought the …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Today the blogosphere celebrates National Puppy Day. In the Muse throws their august paw into the ring with this unusual whistle made by an unknown crafstman. According to the item’s description, “the dog’s neck contains a threaded hole indicating this was a handle for something, possibly a small walking cane.” We do not know if …
Posted in: Musical Instruments, Special Collections
Posted by: Pat Padua
Due to illness, Tanya Tomkins will not perform Bach’s cello suites in the Coolidge Auditorium this Saturday, March 26th. The performance and pre-concert lecture have been canceled. We hope to reschedule her for the next concert season. In the meantime, watch Tomkins perform excerpts from the Bach repertoire on her website. Get well soon, Tanya!
Posted in: Concerts and Events
Posted by: Pat Padua
In the Muse rings in the new season with our foray into territories forged by our colleagues at In Custodia Legis and Inside Adams, who have both established Pic of the Week features. We inaugurate the Music Division’s unique iteration of this feature with an image from a collection which has been the subject of …
Posted in: Birthdays, Composers, Pic of the Week, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The following is a guest post from Music Division Contract Archivist Janet McKinney. As millions of Americans get ready to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and commence the wearing of the green (because “everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day”), it is easy to forget there was once a time in this country when no Irish …
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Holidays, Sheet Music
Posted by: Pat Padua
Next Tuesday the annual DC Elephant Walk comes to town, bringing with it the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. This week we celebrate the mighty pachyderm with F. F. Hagen’s “Baby Elephant March.” For another example of the dimunitive animal’s terpsichorean versatility, see Pierre Latour’s “Baby Elephant Waltz,” which also hails from the Historic …
Posted in: Sheet Music, Sheet Music of the Week, Special Collections