The Music Division commemorates the 160th birthday of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, a trailblazing American philanthropist and musician who founded the Library's concert series and commissioning program, and established the longstanding tradition of public-private philanthropic partnerships at the institution. Explore previous Founder's Day concerts and learn more about this storied titan of American music history.
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 Library of Congress opened a new Treasures Gallery on June 13, 2024, featuring collection items from across the Library centered on "remembrance." The Gallery includes several items from the Music Division's collections, described in this blog post.
An event took place at the Library on Friday, January 12, 2024, in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland and the Phillips Collection, about the American painter, poet, pianist, and composer Louis Eilshemius. This blog post explores the Music Division's display as if you were there, too!
Jazz specialist Larry Appelbaum retired from the Library of Congress on March 31, 2020. Larry reflects on his career at the Library of Congress and provides links to interviews, panels, and blog posts he created and facilitated at the Library of Congress.
Today marks the opening of a new exhibition at the Library of Congress dedicated to civil rights activist Rosa Parks. “Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words” draws from material in the Library’s Rosa Parks Collection to tell the life story of this remarkable woman, including her early life and activism, the Montgomery bus boycott, the …
Since publishing Leaves of Grass in June 1855, Walt Whitman and his poetry have captured the American imagination. Not until the early twentieth century, however, did composers begin to draw from and set to music Whitman’s work in earnest. Today, 200 years after Whitman’s birth, his settings have inspired over 500 composers to write over …
The Music Division of the Library of Congress will be presenting a series of events exploring video game music, from retro bits to VR hits. We will be looking at the history of game music, and learning about how it works from acclaimed musicians who are actively composing for some of the biggest franchises and …
