In commemoration of Veterans Day, Senior Music Specialist Loras John Schissel presents a sketch of an important American arranger, composer, and conductor who broke the color barrier in the U.S. armed forces in 1918. This man was Bandmaster William “Will” Henry Bennet Vodery. Vodery's service in the military and his work as a musician is documented in collections available for researchers in the Performing Arts Reading Room.
Learn about six new collection finding aids that have been published by the Library's Music Division. These finding aids provide bibliographic access to the Irwin Bazelon Papers, Harry Chapin Collection, Ann Murphy Collection on the Rockettes and Radio City Music Hall, Alfred Newman Film Music Manuscripts, Park Avenue Synagogue Commissioning Project Correspondence and Hans Spialek Papers.
In a guest blog, Andrew Northrop of the Slade School of Fine Art at University College London discusses a recent effort to restore the Library's Buchla 100 synthesizer. This early electronic music instrument belonged to composer Morton Subotnick (b.1933), who purchased it in 1966 for his studio on Bleecker Street in New York City. Hear a demo of the synthesizer, learn about its history, and experience the process of bringing a unique instrument back to life.
Nearly 16,000 pages of material from the Library of Congress Leonard Bernstein Collection have been transcribed and reviewed via our "By the People" crowdsourced transcription campaign. Transcriptions will ultimately be made available in loc.gov, and the Leonard Bernstein Digital Collection will soon be keyword searchable.
The Library of Congress Music Division and Koussevitzky Music Foundation commemorate Serge Koussevitzky's 150th birthday with new commissions, the launch of a digital collection, a collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and more. Learn about this legendary composer and conductor who is responsible for commissioning and premiering many 20th century masterworks, including music by Leonard Bernstein, Béla Bartók, Benjamin Britten, and more.
The 2023-2024 season of Concerts from the Library of Congress came to a rousing conclusion on June 20 with a performance by New Orleans-based band Cha Wa. As final preparations are made for the 2024-2025 season announcement, the Music Division is pleased to share a multitude of concert and event videos that have been released …
The following is a guest blog by Music Reference Specialist Morgan Davis. Actress, comedian, author and media personality Whoopi Goldberg visited the Library of Congress on Friday, May 10 to discuss her new autobiography, “Bits and Pieces: My Mother, My Brother, and Me.” Prior to her public conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, …
Here in Washington, D.C., we are lucky to have experienced approximately 87% of “lunar coverage” during the 2024 solar eclipse. You can keep the party going tonight. Trade out your eclipse glasses for a pair of rhinestone studded Elton John-style glasses for the broadcast premiere of “Elton John & Bernie Taupin: The Library of Congress Gershwin …
This is a guest post from Head of Acquisitions & Processing Vin Novara, with Senior Music Specialists Mark Eden Horowitz, Kate Rivers, and Ray White. Nick Hornby’s book “High Fidelity” (1995) features an entertaining look at the quirks of people who intensely collect on music. Top five lists feature prominently throughout the work. As …
