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Posted by: David Plylar
My experience reading works like Cervantes’ Don Quixote or Boccaccio’s Decameron always leaves me with a sense of déjà vu. How is it that people who lived so many centuries ago can still sound so modern, so relevant? While there is a “liter-heiry” influence of these writers to be felt in recent works, it also …
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Musicians, New Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
Recently, the Music Division completed the processing of the Chet Baker Materials. During this anniversary month of his passing, we remember the life of the artist whose name will forever be synonymous with West Coast Jazz.
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Jazz, Musicians, Special Collections
Posted by: Claudia Morales
The following is a guest post from Anne McLean, Senior Producer in the Music Division. On May 28 Concerts from the Library of Congress launches a virtual programming initiative and premieres a new Library commission online Aural Explorations: Farrin, Fure and Messiaen features the stellar International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in a special livestreamed concert capping …
Posted in: Commissions, Composers, Concerts and Events, Guest bloggers, Musicians, New Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
Independent scholar Bonnie H. Miller discusses how she conducted research in the Library of Congress Performing Arts Reading Room for her book, "August Browne: Composer and Woman of Letters in Nineteenth-Century America."
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Musicians, Special Collections, Women in Music
Posted by: Cait Miller
On April 2, 2020, academia lost Claudio Spies, a beloved music scholar, conductor, composer and author whose pedagogical wisdom will continue to inspire students for generations to come. The Library of Congress is home to the Claudio Spies Papers.
Posted in: Composers, Guest bloggers, Special Collections
Posted by: Cait Miller
The Music Division of the Library of Congress has compiled a guide for K-12 music educators that highlights online resources available from the Library of Congress.
Posted in: Guest bloggers, Special Collections
Posted by: Melissa Wertheimer
Mississippi-born composer William Grant Still (1895-1978) holds a significant place in the history of American music, and May 11, 2020 is his 125th birthday! I hope that this birthday blog post piques your interest about the many research possibilities in the Music Division about William Grant Still.
Posted in: African American History, Birthdays, Composers
Posted by: Cait Miller
While traveling in Israel in 1948, Leonard Bernstein wrote a letter to his mother with beautiful illustrations by artist Jossi Stern. In anticipation of Mother's Day weekend, "In the Muse" highlights that digitized letter from the Leonard Bernstein Collection and encourages readers to send illustrated letters of their own.
Posted in: Holidays, Special Collections