Archive for the Collections Category (252 posts)

Sheet Music of the Week: End Times Edition

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French, Clinton D. “The song of Armageddon.” Kansas City, Mo.: French Publishing Company, 1912.

Our colleagues at the Library of Congress blog have noted the trending topic of the end of the world, based on a reading of the Maya calendar that lays out the day of creation as Aug. 11, 3114 B.C., and the end of the world approaching on Dec. 21, 2012. Which is tomorrow. The Music Division does not endorse such a reading of the end times. However, the fact that this apocryphally crucial date falls on a Friday means that the world can party like it’s 1999.  And what better way to start the weekend or the apocalypse than with this week’s featured sheet music?   “The song of Armageddon” is misleadingly named, and speaks of battle not with Gog and Magog but of a historical campaign season. If one does subscribe to the idea of coming oblivion, you could do worse than hold on to this president’s signature teddy bear. For those looking forward to Christmas, recall previous In the Muse celebrations of the holiday season, with the help of composers like Serge Koussevitzky and Gerry Mulligan.

NOT Breaking Records: The History of Recording at the Library of Congress

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While the Library of Congress is known for housing a treasure trove of materials ripe for the scholarly plucking, any library is only as good as the access it can provide to information. The accessibility of the collections—that less tangible but essential asset—is made possible by the Library’s employees, who possess a remarkable set of …

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Richard Robbins Not Forgotten

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Last week the Music Division learned that American film composer Richard Robbins (1940-2012) had passed away earlier this month of Parkinson’s disease. Robbins, a well-respected composer, made his mark on late 20th-century/early 21st-century film music, having composed for dozens of films and earning two Academy Award nominations in his career. He is survived by his …

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“The Paganini Project” Comes to the Coolidge Auditorium

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The following is a guest post by Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist, Concert Office. GRAMMY-nominated British violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved returns to the Library of Congress this December for a fascinating examination of the Music Division’s Niccolò Paganini collection, which includes posters, playbills, letters, manuscripts and memorabilia collected by the legendary violin virtuoso himself. This …

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The Musical Worlds of Victor Herbert: Now Online!

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The following is a guest post from Senior Music Specialist Loras John Schissel, Curator of the Victor Herbert exhibit currently on display in the Performing Arts Reading Room and now available as an online exhibit. Regarded as the most famous American composer of his era, Victor Herbert was born in Dublin, Ireland on February 1, …

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New Dance Collections in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia

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The Music Division is proud to offer two new web presentations in the Performing Arts Encyclopedia.  The collection of notable dancer, choreographer and teacher Bronislava Nijinska (1891-1972) contains a diverse variety of materials documenting dance and the arts in the twentieth century. Available here are over 200 collection items, including manuscripts, books, diaries, choreographic notebooks, …

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Paul Williams: Copyright and the American Songwriter

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It wasn’t your typical mid-day lecture on Capitol Hill. This week the Copyright Office sponsored a special presentation in the Coolidge Auditorium, “Copyright and the American Songwriter.”  Copyright regulations have helped many songwriters make a living by their craft, and one songwriter in particular graced the Coolidge stage to humbly represent his fellow songwriters: ASCAP …

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