Gershwin Prize 2013: Carole King

Yesterday came the announcement we all look forward to in the Music Division: the naming of the next Gershwin Prize recipient! Librarian of Congress James H. Billington announced singer-songwriter Carole King as the next recipient of the distinguished Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The Gershwin Prize “celebrates the work of an artist whose career reflects lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding,” and Carole King established herself decades ago as both a versatile songwriter and a performer who effectively communicates on a most personal and intimate level. She began writing songs in the later 1950’s/early 1960’s with her then-husband Gerry Goffin for a diverse array of artists including The Shirelles (“Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”), The Drifters, (“Up on the Roof”), Little Eva (“The Loco-motion”), The Monkees (“Pleasant Valley Sunday”), and Aretha Franklin (“(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”), among others. After over a decade of writing hits that other artists popularized, King experienced the public limelight with the release of her solo album Tapestry in 1971. Tapestry spoke to a wide audience – the album became the most popular, best-selling album of that early 1970’s period. To date, more than 400 of Carole King’s compositions have been recorded by more than 1000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles – many of them reaching no. 1.

The Library of Congress holds printed sheet music, songbooks, and unpublished copyright deposits registered by King. This past year King published her memoir, A Natural Woman: A Memoir, and our collections also include the book You’ve Got a Friend: Poetic Selections from the Songs of Carole King, edited by Susan Polis Schutz. There is certainly plenty of material to explore as we prepare for events honoring King next spring. For more information about Carole King and the Gershwin Prize, take a few minutes to read yesterday’s press release.

Richard Robbins Not Forgotten

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

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!

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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John Philip Sousa’s Great-Grandson Featured This Coming Sunday

The following is a guest post by Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist, Concert Office.  John Philip Sousa (1854-1932), the famed composer and bandmaster, holds a very special place in the history of Washington, D.C., the Library of Congress, and of course, the United States. The John Philip Sousa Collection, which includes music manuscripts, photographs, literary …

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Apparitions in the Coolidge

The following is a guest post by David H. Plylar, Music Specialist, Concert Office.   Update: Out of concern for our patrons’ safety and in consideration of the extreme weather in the Washington area, the Library of Congress has rescheduled the concert originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 30, 2012. LUCY: Song & Dance, an Opera without Words will …

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A Composer’s Eclectic Personality Reaches out to the World: Nico Muhly’s Library of Congress Commission, “Compare Notes”

The following is a guest post from Nicholas A. Brown, Music Specialist in the Music Division’s Concert Office. American composer Nico Muhly’s (b. 1981) latest work Compare Notes receives its world premiere in the Library’s historic Coolidge Auditorium on Friday, October 12 at 8:00pm.  Written for violinist Daniel Hope and pianist Jeffrey Kahane, this intriguing …

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Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries

Next Tuesday, October 2, 2012, Dr. Barbara Heyman will present a lecture in Coolidge Auditorium entitled “Samuel Barber: Serendipitous Discoveries.” This is another in a series of lectures co-sponsored by the Library of Congress and the American Musicological Society that provides an opportunity for scholars, students and enthusiasts to hear about the kinds of research …

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