Polley Music Library's Cadenza

Rimsky-Korsakov's Concerto for Trombone

2012-01-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

Rimsky-Korsakov's Concerto for Trombone will be performed by the Lincoln Youth Symphony at their February concert, with Kyle Pearcy as the senior soloist. The concerto is part of the standard trombone literature.

The trombone is not usually thought of as a solo instrument. In his book on orchestration, Rimsky-Korsakov describes the trombone as "dark and threatening in the deepest register, brilliant and triumphant in the high compass. The piano is full but somewhat heavy, the forte powerful and sonorous. Valve trombones are more mobile than slide trombones, but the latter are certainly to be preferred as regards nobility and equality of sound, the more so in the fact that these instruments are rarely required to perform quick passages, owing to the special character of their tone."

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), a Russian romantic composer and professor of composition at the St. Petersburg Conservatoire, was also a naval officer who served as Inspector of Military Bands from 1873-1884. It is believed that the Concerto for trombone and military band was written around 1878. It was later arranged for trombone and orchestra, and for trombone and piano.

In the concerto, Rimsky-Korsakov uses the full range of the trombone and requires substantial technique for the 1st (Allegro vivace) and 3rd (Allegretto) movements (and the cadenzas) and musical lyricism for the middle movement (Andante cantabile). All the terms that Rimsky-Korsakov used to describe the trombone in his book on orchestration are found in the Concerto, except that he does require the solo trombone to perform quick passages.

The concerto is very listenable. You can catch the performance Sunday, February 12th, at 3 p.m. at Lincoln High School. And admission is free.

Howard Hanson's Laude

2011-12-07T10:58:00.001-08:00

One of the more interesting pieces being performed in Lincoln this month is Howard Hanson's Laude: Chorale, Variations and Metamorphoses. Hanson wrote Laude as a commission for the College Band Directors National Association in 1975. It was premiered in Berkeley, California at the association's annual conference by the California State University Long Beach Band, conducted by Larry Curtis.

While Howard Hanson (1896-1981) is remembered as a composer of orchestral music (as well as being the director of the Eastman School of Music and the first American to win the Prix de Rome), he wrote several works for band throughout his career, works which are considered important in 20th century American band literature.

In his later years, Hanson looked back to his childhood in Wahoo, Nebraska for inspiration. Laude reflects this, as it is based on a Swedish chorale he knew as a child, All the world praises the Lord, a paraphrase of Psalm 150, which Hanson quotes as "Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet, With psaltery and harp, With timbrel and dance, With string instruments and organs, Praise him upon the loud cymbals, the high-sounding cymbals, Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."

Laude begins with a unison statement of the chorale theme accompanied by percussion, and fanfares. Throughout the piece, percussion sets off the variations, which are in various moods and tempos. In the seventh variation, the chorale returns in the Lydian mode, one of the ancient church modes, and the sound grows. Finally a simple melody from Hanson's childhood (and his Third symphony) appears, with the chorale superimposed, moving to the final climax of the work. (Thanks to Howard Hanson's extensive notes for the premier for some of these thoughts).

If you would like to hear Laude, it will be performed by the Lincoln Community Concert Band at Kimball Recital Hall on Monday, December 12, 2011, at 7:30 pm. The free concert is just one of many interesting musical events in Lincoln this month.

The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag

2011-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

Looking back to what is called the first Thanksgiving in 1621, we know the participants in this harvest festival or religious giving of thanks for the bounty were the Pilgrims and the First Nation tribe who had shared new world agriculture with the Pilgrims -- the Wampanoag. What we don't know about is the music from the gathering.

The music of the Pilgrims is more complex than their religious singing of psalms without instrumental accompaniment. Likewise, the music of the Wampanoag, while full of religious song, is much richer than that. Was there music at the feast? Who sang for whom? Were there instruments?

Today, Thanksgiving is filled with music -- from church music to the marching bands at the football games and the parades. May your Thanksgiving be filled with joy -- and music.

November 19th, 1868

2011-11-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

On November 19th, 1868, the first presidential election after the civil war took place. That day, 172 women from New Jersey, including 4 black women, attempted to vote, in a test of the 14th Amendment. Needless to say, they were denied, so they put their uncounted ballots in a "women's ballot box" monitored by an 84 year old Quaker woman, Margaret Pryer.

Typical suffrage songs from around 1868 include "Female Suffrage," "Clear the Way, For Woman Voting," and "Woman is Going to Vote."

Of the 5.7 million votes cast in the election, 500,000 were cast by black men, including former slaves who had just won the right to vote. U.S. Grant's margin of victory in the popular vote was only 300,000 votes, although he readily won the Electoral College. American women wouldn't gain the right to vote throughout the country until 1920.

Nebraska Music Educators 75th

2011-11-16T07:24:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to the Nebraska Music Educators Association on 75 years. The music educators -- school and college music teachers -- have given many Nebraskans their introduction to music as an activity that can be enjoyed throughout their lives.

NMEA is meeting in Lincoln this week with programs, clinics, formal presentations and other activities for professional development and continuing education. Many young musicians will be in attendance, too, performing in their selected school ensembles or in All-State band, chorus, orchestra, or jazz band.

The gala opening tonight is A Concert and Conversation with Peter Buffett. The public is welcome, and tickets are available through the Lied Center box office. More information is available on the NMEA website.

Again, congratulations to the Nebraska Music Educators Association from the Polley Music Library. May there be many more years filled with music.

Got Sax?

2011-11-05T08:44:00.000-07:00

Adophe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone was born on Nov. 6, 1814. Even as a child, Sax was working on "improving" various wind instruments. He attended the Brussels Conservatory, where he studied clarinet and flute. In 1842, Sax took a metal reed instrument he called the saxophone to Paris, and won a silver medal in the Paris Exposition of 1844. He finally won a gold medal in 1849 at the Paris Industrial Exposition. While ridiculed by critics and other instrument makers, composers such as Berlioz and Rossini supported his innovations. Sax taught sax at the Paris Conservatory from 1858-1871. Sax died in 1894, and interest in the instrument declined until it was taken up by jazz bands. And the rest is history.

I Feel the Earth Move

2011-08-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

The first song that came into my head this week, as I heard about the moderate earthquakes in Colorado and the East Coast, was Carole King's I Feel the Earth Move. I was here in the Polley Music Library when I heard about the quakes, and I know from experience that "I feel the earth move under my feet" is the usual feeling in an earthquake (although I went through a few as a child oblivious to what was going on).

For those people who don't expect quakes because they don't live in "earthquake country," earthquakes may be frightening. As a child I learned to "duck and cover" for earthquakes (just like for civil defense drills). Get under a sturdy table or desk and protect your head. I also learned as a child that another place to ride out an earthquake is in an interior reinforced doorway, where the frame may provide some protection as the building sways. The bookstacks in a library are not the place to be in a quake, as not just the books, but the book stacks themselves, may sway to the point of failure, crushing anything in the path on the way down. Leave the book on the shelf and get to safety away from the book stacks -- then duck and cover, or these days, "duck, cover and hold."

May all your library visits be safe ones.

The Eagle Has Landed

2011-07-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

Space shuttle Atlantis arrived home just before dawn this morning, ending thirty years of NASA shuttle flights. The wake-up song for the astronauts on the final day of this last mission was "God Bless America" by Kate Smith. Wake-up song? That's right, for every space shuttle mission since the Apollo Program in the 1970s, the capsule communicator back on earth has selected the music that is transmitted to the shuttle to act as an alarm clock for the astronauts. Music for this mission included songs by Coldplay, Beyonce, Kool and the Gang, and ELO, among others. Head over to the NASA website to check out more details about the artists selected, and for great video coverage of the shuttle as it orbited earth.

Release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Soundtrack

2011-07-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

The wildly popular Harry Potter series began humbly in June of 1997 when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone, as it is known in the US) was published with an initial print-run of only 500 hardback copies. This Friday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2, the final film adapted from the series, will be released in theaters across the country. For those of you who can't wait, the soundtrack was released today.

As anyone who loves music or film knows, the soundtrack plays a critical role in capturing the mood and flow of the story. This score, written by Alexadre Desplat, is no exception. Even the song titles act as a kind of "spoiler" for the action that will be seen on the big screen this Friday.

Desplat is the final of four composers to score the films, following Nicholas Hooper, Patrick Doyle, and John Williams, who scored the first three films and came up with the original and memorable musical themes heard throughout the series. David Yates, the director of the final films, says that Desplat included "Hedwig's Theme" (by Williams) during any moment in the film that felt nostalgic or relflective of the past. But the bulk of this score is exciting, new material composed to fit the dark mood and the intense action. Desplat was resposible scoring huge battle scenes, the deaths of major characters, true love, and new beginnings for characters that millions of people have grown up with and have grown to love.

While you are counting down the minutes to the release of the final film, stop by Polley Music Library to check out soundtracks from the Harry Potter series, and even some sheet music to play at home!

Itsy Bitsy Bikini

2011-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

Sixty-five years ago, on July 5, 1946, the modern bikini was invented by a French engineer named Louis Reard. (A similar garment had been worn by the Greeks and Romans for athletic purposes, so Reard's invention is the modern version). Reard expected the tiny swim suit to have the same impact as the US atomic tests on the Bikini Atoll, that had just occurred, hence the name bikini. The bikini was first worn in public a few days later, on July 11th. The itsy bitsy garment was slow to become fashionable. Bridget Bardot helped. And in the US, the 1960 song "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" is credited with helping to make the bikini fashionable.

The song about a shy girl too afraid to be seen in her new swim suit was written by Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss. The original release by Brian Hyland in June 1960 made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on August 8, 1960. Several other singers, including Connie Francis, also sang it. And the rest is history.

2011-06-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

July 1st marks the anniversary of the release of Sony's "Walkman" - the iconic little "personal stereo" released in 1979 - whose brand name became synonymous with the technology itself, no matter who the maker. For those too young to remember, and we know you are out there, the Walkman was the portable cassette player that first made it fashionable to wear headphones as an accessory, that single-handedly killed the sales of vinyl albums, and that made it possible to enjoy your own intimate musical world no matter where you were. To commemorate this anniversary, Polley Music Library offers a few more interesting facts about how the way we listen to music can be as influential as the music itself.

1880s - The phonograph is developed and mass produced.
1902 - Opera tenor Enrico Caruso becomes the first recording superstar. Other vocal ranges sound terrible with the recording technology of the time.
1910s - Playback time on discs was brief so popular songs had to become instantly recognizable.
1917 - First jazz recordings released; large numbers of people exposed to new music.
1940s - Sound recording quality improves due to technology used during WWII.
1950s - Some recording artists fight for the right to receive royalties when their songs are played on the radio.
1954 - Pocket transistor radios allow teenagers to listen to rock 'n' roll wherever they went.
1965 - 8-Track players became popular due to their ease of use in cars.
1976 - Hip-hop culture embraces the "Ghetto Blaster" - turntables and microphones can be plugged in to make every street corner a place to mix records, rap, and dance.
1979 - The Walkman allows people to choose their music everywhere they go.
1980s - The Discman appears on the market. CDs create a boom in the music industry as people replace their music collections with the new technology.
1990s - MP3 technology becomes accessible to the masses. Some recording artists fight to punish anyone who "pirates" their music.
2000s - The iPod. Now capable of storing up to 30 days of music.

Before the invention of the phonograph, listening to music was a fleeting experience, enjoyed in the moment and never repeated. During the 20th Century, we music listeners have demanded more and more control over our musical environments - in our homes, in our cars, and eventually, everywhere we went. The way we listen to music has an impact on the music industry itself, on fashion, on vocabulary, and perhaps most importantly, on the way we interact with and experience the music itself.

Toscanini's Conducting Debut

2011-06-25T07:04:00.001-07:00

On June 30, 1886 (125 years ago), Arturo Toscanini made his conducting debut in Rio de Janiero. The young Toscanini had been hired as principal cellist and assistant chorus master for an Italian opera company's tour of Brazil. On the ship on the way to Brazil, he coached the singers and impressed them with his knowledge of the music they were to sing. Although most of the company was Italian, the conductor for the tour was Brazilian, Leopoldo Miguez, and the company didn't meet him until their arrival in Sao Paulo. To put it mildly, Miguez and the troup did not work well together. Miguez resigned on June 30th, the day of a performance of Aida; Miguez also published a letter blaming his resignation on the Italians.

The show must go on, so the assistant conductor, Carlo Superti took the podium and began the opening of Aida. The audience made so much noise that the music could not be heard, and Superti left to jeers and catcalls. The company's impressario, Claudio Rossi, tried to speak with the audience with no greater success, and an audience heading to the ticket stand for refunds. What to do? The singers backstage suggested the nineteen year old Arturo Toscanini knew the score. What was there to lose? Toscanini took the helm of the orchestra and the rest is history.

To read more about Toscanini, books such as Understanding Toscanini, by Joseph Horowitz, Reflections on Toscanini, by Harvey Sachs, and Arturo Toscanini: the NBC Years, by Mortimer H. Frank, can be found in the Polley Music Library. The library also has several recordings with Toscanini conducting.

Happy Birthday Igor Stravinsky (June 17,1882 - April 6, 1971)

2011-06-17T14:17:00.000-07:00

On a warm, May evening in Paris at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, a barely recognizable bassoon sang out the first few bars of the new ballet, The Rite of Spring. The bassoon continued in the highest notes of the intrument’s range as the dancers took their cues on stage. The audience, dressed to the nines, began to shift uncomfortably in their seats. Moments later, composer Camille Saint-Saëns walked out of the performance, loudly complaining that the bassoon had been misused. Fights broke out as members of the audience argued over the artistic value of the piece. People shouted both insults and accolades at the stage. Whether or not audiences were ready for it, Modernism had arrived in the classical music world.

Over the years, Stravinsky experimented with and transformed many 20th Century musical techniques including Neo-classicism, polytonal styles, and 12-tone serialism. Though his compositions were influenced by Russia’s expressive folk music and the romantic orchestrations of his famous teacher, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, his own voice was always present through his unique, energetic, rhythmic drive.

Stravinsky is also famous for his cosmopolitan lifestyle. He travelled the world and became a citizen in both France and the United States. He had numerous affairs with influential women, including Coco Chanel, and his second wife, dancer and artist Vera de Bosset. He was also close friends with composer Claude Debussy, author Aldous Huxley, and artist Pable Picasso.

Igor Stravinsky was an energetic, charismatic, musical revolutionary that never stopped evolving and experimenting. His personal life was as interesting and controversial as his musical creations. Learn more from Lincoln City Libraries!

READ:

Stravinsky in Pictures and Documents - by Vera Stravinsky & Robert Craft

Stravinsky - The Second Exile: France & America (1934-1971) - by Stephen Walsh

WATCH:

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky - (2009) Sony Pictures

LISTEN:

The Firebird: Russian Fairy Tale - Seattle Symphony Orchestra

The Rite of Spring - London Symphony Orchestra

International Surf Music Month

2011-06-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

June is International Surf Music Month -- a perfect time to think of fun in the sun, sand and surf. And to think of the really fun rock and pop music from Southern California that's come to be known as "surf music."

There are two major types of surf music: rock instrumentals such as Wipeout, Pipeline or the Hawaii Five-O theme, and pop rock vocals like Surfin' Safari. Bands like the Tornadoes, the Chantays, the Ventures, the Surfaris, the Beach Boys, and artists like Dick Dale and Jan and Dean have left us the wonderful summer surf music.

A couple of books in our collection that touch on surf music include Timothy White's A Nearest Faraway Place: Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and the Southern California Experience, along with Bob Greene's When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams (as Bob Greene tours the State Fair circuit with Jan and Dean). There are also many websites devoted to surf music and lots of YouTube videos to get you in the summer surfin' mood.

Kellogg-Briand Pact

2010-08-27T07:56:00.000-07:00

On August 27, 1928, the Kellogg-Briand Pact was signed in Paris by 15 nations, including the United States, and many other nations signed on later. Originally conceived as a treaty between France and the U.S., it was soon broadened to include other nations. The Pact's formal name, General Treaty for the Renunciation of War, indicates the purpose of the treaty -- for nations to renounce war as a primary means of settling disputes. It was ratified by the Senate and appears to be a matter of U.S. law that's still on the books.

Suggestions for celebrating the idea of peace on this anniversary include a Let there be peace on earth sing-along or John and Yoko's Give peace a chance.

Elvis's Last Lincoln Concert

2010-08-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

August 16th is the anniversary of Elvis's death 1977 death. The urban legend in Lincoln, Nebraska, is that Elvis's last concert was here. Well -- close, but not quite accurate, as there were another 6 concerts after the tour stop in Lincoln.

Elvis Presley played Pershing Auditorium in Lincoln on Monday night, June 20, 1977. One of the local papers, the Lincoln Journal, had a headline the next day, "Elvis magic still sparks screams". The Lincoln concert drew an audience of approximately "7,500 happy Presley fans", according to a Lincoln Journal article on June 22nd. Scalped tickets sold for at least $50. And, according to the paper, Elvis performed several types of music in addition to rock & roll, and the crowd jumped and screamed for it all. While in Lincoln, Elvis apparently stayed at the then Lincoln Hilton and dodged fans waiting for his departure by using a second limo -- a little different than after the 1956 Lincoln concert when Elvis stayed to sign autographs rather than immediately going to the limo.

The aliens among us

2010-07-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

On July 8, 1947, a press release from the Roswell (New Mexico) Army Air Field noted the recovery of a crashed "flying disc". While the next day a higher command in the Army issued another press release calling the debris that of a weather balloon, rumors continued to circulate that alien bodies had been recovered. The press releases fueled public interest in UFOs and aliens and conspiracy theories that has flourished to today.

What I know of aliens and UFOs I learned from Hollywood films (or television shows from my childhood, like My Favorite Martian). And some of those films have great soundtracks. My favorite is the 1982 film E.T., with wonderful music by John Williams. Another film with music by John Williams is Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And there's James Horner's score to the 1986 film Aliens.

Celebrate the anniversary of the Roswell incident with a soundtrack from a sci-fi film, or watch the film, and remember that there may be aliens among us -- or all those UFOs could just be weather balloons.

From the Stage at 4

2010-04-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

Program Notes for the Lincoln Civic Orchestra Concert, April 25, 2010
Written by Carolyn Dow, Polley Music Librarian (Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska)

George Gershwin (1898-1937)
The American composer George Gershwin was born and raised in New York. He became interested in music at the age of 10; he studied piano and was introduced to European classical music. Gershwin left school at 15 and became a performing "song-plugger" on Tin Pan Alley. His first song was published at 17. Composing, arranging and performing led to work on Broadway shows. His collaboration with his brother Ira began in 1924 and continued for the rest of his life. Although George Gershwin was earning his living in popular music, he continued to be interested in classical music. He composed his most famous work, Rhapsody in Blue, incorporating jazz into the sork for piano and orchestra. He traveled to Europe in hopes of studying with someone like Ravel or Nadia Boulanger, but they rejected him as a student, not wanting to ruin his jazz-inspired style; while in Europe, he composed An American in Paris. On Gershwin's return to the U.S., he turned to doing music for the movies. He also composed his opera Porgy and Bess. In 1936, his score for the film Shall We Dance blended balled and jazz. George Gershwin died of a brain tumor in 1937 in Hollywood, at the age of 38. His legacy in both popular and classical music lives on.

Ira Gershwin (1896-1983)
George Gershwin's older brother was one of the great American lyricists of the twentieth century. Ira didn't get involved with the music business until 1921, when he was hired away from his cashier job to write music for a show. He teamed up with his brother in 1924 to write the songs for Lady, Be Good! After that, the Gershwins worked together until George's death in 1937, writing the music for a dozen shows and four films, as well as the opera Porgy and Bess. In 1932, Ira Gershwin received the Pulizer Prize for drama for Of Thee I Sing. A few of Ira Gershwin's notable songs include "Embraceable You," "I Got Rhythm," "Someone to Watch Over Me," and "'S Wonderful." Later collaborators included composers Jerome Kern, Kurt Weill, Harold Arlen and Arthur Schwartz. Ira Gershwin died in Beverly Hills, California in 1983 at the age of 86.

Strike Up the Band, by George and Ira Gershwin
In 1927, the Gershwin brothers were leading Broadway songwriters. Using Gilbert and Sullivan as a model, they wrote a political anti-war satire about a cheese merchant, who trying to maintain his monopoly, works to get the U.S. to declare war on Switzerland. In 1927, the show played a short try-out run in Philadelphia, never making it to Broadway. The musical is generally thought to have been ahead of its time. The 1930 revised version that did make it to Broadway lightened up on the political satire and emphasized romance instead; it ran for 191 performances. And, a 1940 film starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney took the title and the title song, "Strike Up the Band," but nothing else from the Gershwin musical. As of 1936, the Gershwins allowed UCLA to use the musical's title song as one of their school songs. "Strike Up the Band," the title song of the musical, is the march the patriotic Americans sing as they head off to war with Switzerland.

The Man I Love, by George and Ira Gershwin
Written for the original 1927 production of Strike Up the Band, the song "The Man I Love" was removed from the 1930 version of the musical. However, it quickly became a popular standard on its own. A few of the singers to record the song are Helen Morgan, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Cher, and Barbra Streisand. Even Tony Bennett recorded the song as "The Girl I Love."

A Foggy Day, by George and Ira Gershwin
The Gershwins provided several songs for the 1937 musical film, A Damsel in Distress. The film was loosely based on a P.G. Wodehouse novel about an American songwriter and his success. Among the songs written for the movie was "A Foggy Day," which was sung and danced by Fred Astaire in a classic scene in the woods. Other cast members included George Burns, Gracie Allen and Joan Fontaine. George Gershwin died while the film was in production. Sometimes called "A Foggy Day in London Town," his song has become an American standard, performed and recorded by numerous singers and jazz musicians.

Lullaby, by George Gershwin
One of George Gershwin's first serious scores, Lullaby was originally written for string quartet in 1919, when Gershwin was just 21 years old. The next year, it was scored for string orchestra. The short piece is in a three-part song form, and anticipates his later song, "Summertime," from Porgy and Bess. Words that are commonly used to describe Gershwin's Lullaby include tender, touching, and beautiful.

Selections from Porgy and Bess, by George Gershwin
George Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess was based on the novel (and stage play) by DuBose Heyward which dealt with 1920s African American life on "Catfish Row" in Charleston, South Carolina. Heyward provided the libretto for the opera, in addition to collaborating on the lyrics with Ira Gershwin. George Gershwin began thinking about composing a folk-opera after reading Heyward's novel in 1926. Although Gershwin had contacted Heyward about collaboration in the 1920s, Gershwin did not find time to begin working on the project until 1934. The opera premiered in 1935, in New York, with a cast of classically trained African American singers -- quite a daring production for its day. The 1936 tour included the first integrated audience at the National Theater in Washington, D.C. George Gershwin considered Porgy and Bess to be his finest work, but Porgy and Bess was not fully accepted as a legitimate American opera until the 1975 production by the Houston Grand Opera. It is now part of the standard operatic repertoire.

The story concerns Porgy, a disabled black man living in the hot southern slums who attempts to rescue Bess from her violent lover and from a drug dealer. Two murders and a church picnic on an island punctuate the opera.

Gershwin's music incorporates jazz and blues, southern black musical traditions, and even melodies from Jewish liturgical music. Themes are used to depict specific characters or objects, so they appear throughout the opera as those characters or objects (such as drugs) appear. Many notable songs are from the opera, including "Summertime," "It Ain't Necessarily So," "I Got Plenty o' Nottin'," "A Woman is a Sometime Thing," "Bess, You is My Woman Now," and "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York" (which the drug dealer sings to Bess about what a wonderful life the two of them will have up north). "Oh, Lawd, I'm on My Way" ends the opera. Today's selections include these songs and many more from the opera.

Music from The Lord of the Dance, by Ronan Hardiman
The Lord of the Dance is an Irish dancing spectacular featuring Michael Flatley, who starred, choreographed, and produced the show. He had come to fame starring in the Irish dance musical, Riverdance. The plot of the musical involves the Lord of the Dance fighting and preventing the evil Don Dorcha from taking over Planet Ireland. In a love story also running throughout the musical, Saoirse fights the wicked Morrighan for the love of the Lord of the Dance. The plot is based on Irish folklore. The show opened in Dublin in 1996, and touring trouped performed the show for the next 10 years or so.

The Irish composer Ronan Hardiman provided music for the show. Born in Dublin in 1962, Hardiman began a successful career composing music for Irish film, television and commercials in the 1990s. Along with The Lord of the Dance, he has provided "Celtic" music for other Flatley shows. More recently, he has combined Celtic music with pop influences.

Today's selections from The Lord of the Dance include the title song, "The Lord of the Dance," and "Cry of the Celts." The music is definitely Irish flavored, with lots of fiddling and drumming. The theme song borrows from the Shaker hymn tune variously called "Simple Gifts" or "Lord of the Dance." Yet it is Irish through and through.

Highlights from Wicked, by Stephen Schwartz
The musical Wicked was based on Gregory Maguire's best-selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which tells the story of Oz from the perspective of the witches of Oz, especially Elphaba (the future Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (the future Glinda, the Good Witch of the North). Their complicated relationships, rivalries, and differing views and reactions to the corruption of Oz form the basis of the show. The first act takes place before Dorthy's arrival from Kansas.

Although Wicked premiered in San Francisco in 2003, it soon broke box office records in productions around the world. It has seen great popular success, despite mixed critical reviews. The music by Stephen Schwartz has had a part in the popular success. Schwartz uses two musical themes that occur throughout the score, but he changes the instrumentation to fit the mood. Songs to be heard today include "No One Morns the Wicked," "The Wizard and
I," "Dancing Through Life," "Popular" and "Defying Gravity."

The composer and lyricist for Wicked, Stephen Schwartz, has had a career full of musical hits in theater and film. From Godspell and Pippin in the early 1970s to Wicked, and from Pocahontas to Enchanted, Schwartz has crafted music and lyrics -- winning three Grammys, three Oscars, one Golden Globe, four Drama Desk awards and been nominated for six Tonys. Born and raised in New York City, Schwartz began his broadway career shortly after college with a song for Butterflies are Free in 1969. Still going strong, in 2009, Schwartz collaborated on two songs for the album Slice by the group Five for Fighting.

Beautiful Nebraska

2010-03-01T11:56:00.001-08:00

March 1st is the date Nebraska gained statehood in 1867. For the first hundred years, Nebraska didn't have an official state song. That was remedied by the state legislature in 1967. Quite a few songs were introduced as legislative bills, but after the legislature got the help of a group of Nebraska musicians to sort out the contenders, a song was chosen by the legislature's secret ballot: Beautiful Nebraska. Of the final three songs voted on by the legislature, Beautiful Nebraska garnered 31 votes to a total of 12 for the other two songs. Jim Fras of Lincoln wrote the music and the lyrics, with help from another Lincolnite, Guy Miller, with the lyrics. Nebraska's first lady, Mrs. Frank Morrison had been promoting the song for a couple of years, even singing it at the New York World's Fair in 1965.

Fras was born in 1925 in the Soviet Union where he lived for the first 18 years of his life. He emigrated to the United States in 1952 by way of West Germany, and landed in Lincoln through the sponsorship of the Lincoln Council of Churches. He fell in love with Nebraska, a feeling that comes across in his song. Inspiration for Beautiful Nebraska came from a drive out in the country, and he wrote the song in an hour in 1965 after spending nine years trying to write a song about his adopted state. Aside from composing Nebraska's state song, Jim Fras worked as a musical entertainer, and later as a piano tuner and rebuilder. He died in 2002.

"Beautiful Nebraska, peaceful prairie land..."

Ice Dance Music

2010-02-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

One of the most frequently heard comments on ice dancing -- especially the compulory dance -- is "boring". The music is played over and over, and the couples skate the same steps. It's ballroom on ice. The compulsory dance skated in the Olympics a couple of days ago was the Tango Romantica, so the music provided by the International Skating Union was a tango. Actually, the music was rotated so more than one tango was used. The other compulsory dance selected for the 2009/10 season was the Golden Waltz, which was not drawn for the Olympics.

The second part of the ice dance competition is the Original Dance. The ISU selects the dance rhythm or rhythms and the character of the dance, then couples select their own music within those requirements. The Original Dance functions like the short program in singles and pairs, with required elements which must be skated. But, in the Original Dance, those elements must be skated to music of the selected rhythm and character. This year, it was folk or ethnic dance which represented a specific geographic area, and American "country" music was acceptable. While some couples chose the folk music of their own countries, others branched out. The top couples performed dances representing Spain, the Indian subcontinent, Australian aboriginal culture, and Moldovia.

The third part of the ice dance competition tonight is the Free Dance. Pretty much anything goes as far as music -- as long as the music lends itself to skating and interpretation. Long gone are the days of the Free Dance being waltz-polka-foxtrot or tango-samba-paso. Free dance looks like pairs except that there is much greater flow in the footwork, couples skate holding on to each other in various "dance holds" much of the time, lifts don't have the full arm extension of pairs skating, and ice dancers don't have to worry about those pesky doubles, triples and quads.

The last major competition to use this year's selected dances and rhythms will be Worlds. Then the couples will begin to prepare for next year when the compulsory dances will be the Ravensburger Waltz or the Finnstep (a quickstep), and the Original Dance will be skated to dances of the 50s, 60s, and 70s. And, as always, the Free Dance will be to music of the couple's choice.

Name that Olympic Theme Song

2010-02-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

As I've been watching the first few days of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games on television, the television theme song, or at least the clips being used seem to be different. They started out with Leo Arnaud's Bugler's Dream, introduced at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France. Then clips of Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams started appearing. That was written for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. I'm waiting for another John Williams piece, The Olympic Spirit, written for NBC Sports to use at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. After all, there's still lots left of the games to televise.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

2010-02-06T12:37:00.000-08:00

The immortal words of Sammy Cahn about snow were quite appropriate this week, with Groundhog Day on Tuesday and National Weatherman's Day on Friday. At least this week, the snow wasn't Blowin' in the Wind. But, Baby, it's Cold Outside, so you should probably Button up your Overcoat. Personally, I'm tired of Dreary Weather. I'm not quite ready for the Stormy Weather already forecast for the spring. Rather, I'm waiting for Blue Skies so I can walk On the Sunny Side of the Street. The Clouds will soon Roll By and we'll find ourselves with Some Sunny Day. Or, maybe, we'll be Singin' in the Rain because Raindrops keep Fallin' on my Head. Spring is just around the corner in another six weeks or so.

Quantz, the finest flutist in Europe

2010-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Johann Joachim Quantz, know in his day as the finest flutist in Europe, was born on January 30, 1697. Son of a German blacksmith who had wanted Quantz to follow in his trade, Johann Joachim Quantz studied music instead. In 1740, he became composer, flute teacher and flute maker to Frederick the Great, also a flutist. As a flute maker, Quantz added keys to the instrument to improve intonation. As a composer, he left hundreds of pieces of flute music. But it was as a teacher that he left his mark, with the publication of a method, published in English as On Playing the Flute, a book that documents not only Baroque flute playing, but also the performance practices of Baroque music in general. Quantz died on July 12, 1773. Happy birthday, Johann Joachim Quantz.

John Philip Sousa

2009-11-06T06:48:00.000-08:00

The best known American composer of marches, John Philip Sousa, was born on November 6, 1854 in Washington, D.C. He learned to play the violin (as well as several wind instruments) and studied harmony and orchestration before joining the Marine Band in 1868. He served in the band until 1875. He also performed in various theater orchestras. In 1876, he was a violinist in an orchestra conducted by Offenbach during his American tour. An appointment to direct the Marine Band in 1880 brought him back to bands and marches. Sousa directed the Marine Band until 1892, when he formed his own band which toured North America and Europe to great success. The Sousa Band performed at the Chicago World's Fair (1893) and the 1900 Paris Exhibition, which was noted for its diverse music. During the First World War, Sousa joined the Naval Reserve and served his annual tours for many more years. Aside from composing marches, operettas and incidental music, Sousa was also involved in the development of the sousaphone, a bass tuba with an upright bell used in marching bands since the 1890s, and named after Sousa. John Philip Sousa died in 1932, but his legacy lives on. Stars and Stripes Forever became the official march of the US in 1987, by act of Congress signed by Ronald Reagan.

Sousa left us an autobiography, Marching Along, which provides his insights into his own life. And, the major Sousa scholar, Paul E. Bierley, wrote a biography, John Philip Sousa: American Phenomenon, as well as several other works on Sousa's works. The Polley Music Library has these, as well as several CDs of his works, and piano transcriptions of Sousa's Great Marches.

Frightful Classics

2009-10-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

For Halloween, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite scary classical pieces. Find them on a CD at the library, in Classical Music Library (a library database), or follow the links.

In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg, from Peer Gynt)
Funeral March for a Marionette (Gounod, used as the Alfred Hitchcock theme)
Sorcerer's Apprentice (Dukas, featured in Disney's Fantasia)
Danse Macabre (Saint Saens)
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach)
Night on Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky, featured in Disney's Fantasia)

Enjoy!

Monty Python

2009-10-15T11:27:00.001-07:00

The Monty Python television show began airing 40 years ago, in 1969. It was a cultural icon for a generation, and as such, has influenced what people think of when they hear the theme song -- Sousa's Liberty Bell march. Sousa may have written the march in 1893 for an operetta that he never finished, but it wasn't long before the piece had been published and had become a popular march. Since Monty Python went into reruns/syndication, Liberty Bell has been played by the US Marine Corps Band for three presidential inaugurations -- presidents from the Monty Python generation, Clinton, Bush and Obama.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day

2009-09-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum... It may be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, but piracy is serious music business. And a long standing tradition. Little Wolfie Mozart used his ear and his amazing memory to copy music from a performance that was never to be copied. Bootleg recordings of performances abound -- opera, classical concerts, rock... And then there's the sharing of recordings via the internet -- of which the RIAA takes a very dim view via their lawsuits. However widespread the phenomenon of piracy, the composers and artists are entitled to the fruits of their musical labors. And there's the rub for intellectual property.

Paul Taffanel

2009-09-15T15:04:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday, Paul Taffanel! Taffanel is generally considered to be the father of the modern French flute school, which became the dominant style of playing in Western Europe and the U.S. through the mid-20th century. He was born on September 16, 1844, in Bordeaux, France. His father was a music teacher. By the age of 10, Paul was playing flute in local concerts, and at 12, he was accepted as a student byLouis Dorun, who he followed to the Paris Conservatoire in 1860. Taffanel had a fabulous career as a flute soloist and orchestral player, as a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire from 1893 on, and as a conductor. He also composed and arranged music. He died in Paris in 1908.

Taffanel's playing style was particularly noted for the pure tone with limited vibrato. We flute players are indebted to Paul Taffanel, and many of us can trace our heritage -- our teacher's teachers -- back to Taffanel.

If you're interested in learning more, there's a book, Taffanel: Genius of the Flute, by Edward Blakeman (published by Oxford University Press, 2005). You can find it at the Polley Music Library.

September is National Piano Month

2009-09-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Not only is September National Piano Month, but it is also Library Card Sign-Up Month. To celebrate both, I'd like to suggest that you explore the music database, Classical Music Library. It, along with Smithsonian Global Sounds and African American Song provide a wealth of music to listen to, as well as information about that music. The links are on the Polley Music Library home page. To access these databases from outside the library, you'll need your Lincoln City Libraries' card.

Another possibility for using your library card for National Piano Month would be to check out some of the music in the Polley Music Library. Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and many other composers await in our section of piano scores. We also have lots of "easy piano" music to play. How about checking out a book about a pianist or the history of the piano? If we don't have what you need, you can use your library card to borrow scores on inter-library loan.

Happy National Piano Month! Happy Library Card Sigh-Up Month!

Funiculi Funicula

2009-08-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

On this day in history (August 24, AD 79), Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying several Roman cities, including Pompeii.

Mount Vesuvius towers over the landscape near the Italian city of Naples. Vesuvius is still an active volcano, but the mountain has long drawn people for relaxation and recreation. In 1880, a funicular railway was opened on Mount Vesuvius. To commemorate that opening, Italian composer Luigi Denza wrote a song -- Funiculi Funicula -- with words by Peppino Turco. The song proved to be so popular that Richard Strauss used it in his symphony, Aus Italien, thinking that it was an Italian folk song; needless to say, a lawsuit ensued, and a royalties were awarded to Denza.

Just as Pompeii was destroyed in an eruption of Vesuvius, the funicular railway was destroyed in a 1944 eruption of the volcano. Still the song remains a favorite.

Hawaii Statehood

2009-08-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hawaii becoming the 50th state of the United States of America. Statehood was attained on August 21, 1959.

As I was researching to write about something musical for Hawaii, I looked at Aloha 'Oe, one of the best known Hawaiian songs. It was written by Queen Lili'uokalani in 1878 about the parting of lovers. Queen Lili'uokalani (1838-1917) was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands, reiginig 1891-1893. The Queen wrote more than 150 songs during her lifetime. I was suprised to learn that Aloha 'Oe is not the state song of Hawaii.

Instead, the state song is Hawai'i Pono'i. The standard translation is, "Hawaii's own true sons, be loyal to your chief." The words were written by King David Kalakaua, with the music written by Professor Henry Berger, the Royal Bandmaster. Hawai'i Pono'i served as the national anthem for the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1876 to the end of the kingdom in 1893. It was adopted as the official state song by the state legislature of Hawaii in 1967, and it links the proud heritage of Hawaii with its statehood.

Woodstock

2009-08-17T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Woodstock Art and Music Fair was held over three days in August 1969 -- the 15th, 16th and 17th -- so this is the 40th anniversary of that seminal event in pop music. Woodstock didn't take place in Woodstock, New York because of community opposition; rather, it took place at dary farm in Bethel, New York, about 40 miles away.

The line-up of performers was a true who's who of the era (excluding the Beatles and the Rolling Stones). Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Santana, the Band, Johnny Winter, Blood Sweat and Tears, Sha Na Na, Ravi Shankar, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and many others performed for the 300,000 spectators at any one time.

In spite of only 600 porta-potties, inadequate water supplies, mud, and choked roads, the festival showed that young people could gather for a musical celebration in a peaceful way. With Joni Mitchell's song as well as a film about the festival and records from the festival, Woodstock became more than it was at the time. (Joni Mitchell was not present at the festival, even though she memorialized it with her song).

The era of peaceful rock festivals lasted only a few months. "Woodstock West" was held in December 1969 as the Altamont Speedway Free Festival in northern California. Marred by death and violence, Altamont sealed the uniqueness of Woodstock.

And the Flag was Still There

2009-08-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 230th birthday, Francis Scott Key! The man who authored the words that became the national anthem of the United States of America was born on August 1, 1779, in Frederick County, Maryland. He grew up writing verses as a hobby, taking after one of his ancestors who was an English poet laureate. After attending St. John's College, Key became a successful lawyer. He married and had 11 children with his wife Mary.

In 1814, Key headed a truce commission negotiating for the release of Dr. William Beanes, who had beed captured by the British and held on the British ship, Suprise, off Baltimore. Dr Beanes had looked after the American troops at Valley Forge during the revolution, so was something of an American hero. The negotiators, including Key, were not permitted to leave the British ship they were on (Minden) since the British were planning an attack on Fort McHenry. The British attacked the fort, the battle raged for a day and night, while Key watched through field glasses. The next morning, Key saw that the American flag was still flying over Fort McHenry, and quickly wrote down his verses on an envelope he had with him. After the battle, the negotiators were released. Back at the Indian Queen Hotel in Baltimore, Key wrote out a neat copy, and it was soon printed as The Defense of Fort McHenry. It became known as The Star Spangled Banner in 1815. The music was an English popular (and sometimes, drinking) song, To Anacreon in Heaven, composed by John Stafford Smith around 1775. It became the US national anthem in 1931.

Francis Scott Key was a very religious man. But, he was also a slave owner, torn between maintaining slavery and advocating for a solution to it; eventually, he freed his own slaves. He served as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1833 to 1841. He died January 11, 1843.

Fly Me to the Moon

2009-07-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

On this, the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the man's first step on the moon, we're all still a bit Moonstruck (1933, by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow). We've learned that the 1953 Academy Award nominee and best selling record, The Moon is Blue, was wrong, at least up there. And that because there are polar ice caps on the moon, the Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini song from Breakfast at Tiffany's, Moon River could in fact be true.

Even though Fly Me to the Moon was written by Bert Howard in the 1954, prior to Sputnik and the space race, it was a best selling record in the sixties for several major artists. That is, it became somewhat of an anthem for the Apollo space program. Apollo 8 actually did a lunar orbit and return to earth in 1968, as did Apollo 10 just a couple of months before Apollo 11's landing and that first Moonwalk. The Apollo program continued through Apollo 17 in 1972.

We've not yet made the Hoagy Carmichael/Johnny Mercer song from 1934, Moon Country (Is Home to Me) a reality, but space exploration continues. And just last week I heard talk of the possibility of moon flights to look at the possibility of settlement of the moon. Who knows what is in our futures as we look up at the moon in wonder.

La Marseillaise

2009-07-14T09:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Bastille Day! This is the 220th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille Prison in Paris during the French revolution. In France, today is a day of national celebration. The storming of the Bastille was an important marker in the development of the modern French nation.

The storming of the Bastille predates the composition of the Marseillaise by three years. The song was written by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a supporter of the monarchy, at the behest of the mayor of Strasbourg after France declared war on Prussia and Austria. War song for the Rhine army was written on April 25, 1792. The song was soon published as Border armies' war song. A group of revolutionaries who had gathered in Marseille adapted the march and sang it as they entered Paris on July 30, 1792. It was called La Marseillaise by Parisians after those revolutionaries from Marseille.

On July 14, 1795, La Marseillaise became a national song of France. It was banned during the Empire, but came back with the July revolution of 1830. Berlioz made a well-known arrangement of the song. An "official version" was adopted in 1887. La Marseillaise was recognized as the national anthem in the constitutions of the 4th and 5th Republics.

Like the American national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, La Marseillaise celebrates war. But the French anthem also celebrates a citizen's call to arms in defense of the nation. The two anthems also share a sometimes call for a less bellicose song to replace each one. But both songs represent important parts of the nations' histories.

Harry Partch

2009-06-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

American composer Harry Partch was born in Oakland, California on June 24, 1901, and died in San Diego, California in 1974. As a musician and innovative composer, he stretched the boundaries of music and worked outside the mainstream of "classical music." He is best known for the creation of musical instruments that were capable of fractional differences in pitch and could play music based on the 43 tone scale he developed. Clips from a BBC program about Partch are available on YouTube.

Happy 90th birthday, Pete Seeger

2009-06-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

American folk singer Pete Seeger turns 90 years old today. But he hasn't just sung the old folk songs, he's written songs that speak to the issues of the times -- like If I had a Hammer, and Where have all the Flowers Gone? and Turn! Turn! Turn! He was instrumental in the folk music revival of the 50's and 60's. In 1964, his version of Malvina Reynold's song, Little Boxes, made number one on the Billboard charts. Many of the songs he wrote were chart hits for other performers. Pete Seeger recognized that music is a powerful tool -- some might say, weapon -- and he used it in the fight for social justice. He normally performs with a banjo, helping to keep that traditional American instrument alive, too. Thanks, and Happy birthday, Pete.

To celebrate Pete's 90th birthday, watch Little Boxes or the many other video clips of Pete Seeger's performances made throughout his career.

Haydn's Later Years

2009-06-01T12:14:00.001-07:00

Sunday, May 31, 2009, was the 200th anniversary of the death of Franz Joseph Haydn. The Austrian composer is frequently called the "father of the symphony," but he wrote much more than just those 100 or so symphonies.

Joseph Haydn lived to a ripe old age of 77. The last 15 years of his life were spent back at the Esterhazy court. From 1794 on, there was a new prince, Nikolaus, who wanted Haydn to focus on church music. Six of Haydn's masses come from this period. His Mass in the Time of War referred to Napoleon's march on Vienna. The Nelson Mass celebrated Lord Nelson's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile. The Theresa Mass was written in honor of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Haydn also composed his oratorios, The Creation and The Seasons in these years. In 1796, Haydn composed the Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major, now a standard part of the trumpet repertoire. And then there was the hymn tune written to be the Austrian national anthem, which he then used in the Emperor Quartet.

Ill health forced Haydn to resign his court post in 1802. Haydn's health continued to deteriorate over the following years, but he is reputed to have joked about it. His last public appearance was at a concert in his honor in 1808, at which his friend Antonio Salieri conducted Haydn's The Creation. Haydn died May 31, 1809 in Vienna and buried there, later to be reinterred in 1820 at Eisenstadt somehow without his skull. The skull and body were finally reunited at Eisenstadt in 1954.

Abraham Lincoln's Music

2009-05-27T07:23:00.001-07:00

All this month, an exhibit from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum has been on display at Bennett Martin Public Library (where the Polley Music Library is located). The only musical example in the exhibit, Abraham Lincoln: Self-Made in America, is a copy of an 1864 songsheet, How Sherman's Veterans Took Atlanta. I decided to do a little research to see if Lincoln had any interest in music, since I was pretty sure that he did not make music himself, unlike Presidents Jefferson and Truman. A few of the things I learned are below.

Lincoln loved opera and attended something like 19 performances during his presidency.

The play Lincoln was watching at the time of his assasination was Our American Cousin, a play with music starring Laura Keene, at Ford's Theater.

He loved sentimental ballads, but was strongly affected by them. He also sometimes wanted to hear happy music to cheer himself up.

Lincoln especially enjoyed concerts by Louis Moreau Gottschalk, the pianist from New Orleans.

At the White House, Mrs. Lincoln traded in an older piano for a new one built in 1860 by the Schomacker Company of Philadelphia. That grand piano was prominently placed in Mrs. Lincoln's favorite sitting room, the Red Room. Willie and Tad Lincoln took piano lessons from Professor Alexander Wolowski on that piano.

The Lincolns hosted many performances at the White House, including the Native American singer Larooqua, Venezuelan child prodigy pianist Teresa Carreno, the Hutchinsons, and the tiny circus performer Commodore Nutt.

Lincoln enjoyed the popular songs of the day, including Dixie.

President Lincoln particularly enjoyed the Marine Band. There were band concerts on the White House grounds except for the couple of years when Mrs. Lincoln would not allow them after the death of Willie.

Lincoln's funeral ceremony itself did not have music. The Marine Band played to send off the cortege complete with drum corps. As Lincoln lay in state at the Springfield City Hall, a thousand singers were there. A large choir sang as the funeral train arrived in Chicago. And for the burial ceremony, George F. Root composed a tribute to Lincoln.

Are Bike Horns Musical Instruments?

2009-04-30T11:23:00.001-07:00

On a rainy Thursday at the end of April, a little humor brightens up the day. A friend shared the video of "bike horn guy" with me. It's definitely entertainment. Is it music? That's up to each listener/viewer to decide. Don't worry if your French is rusty. Just listen and watch the amazing performance.

Trees

2009-04-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

It's Arbor Day, on Friday, April 24, 2009. A day to plant trees here in Nebraska and other places the day is celebrated. Lincoln, Nebraska, has been a participant in the Tree City USA program for many years, and trees are important to the quality of city life here.

Joyce Kilmer's poem, Trees, has been set to music by many composers. The best known version is the 1922 setting by Oscar Rasbach (1888-1975), a composer of art songs. The poem begins:

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

Here's a lovely version by Julian Lloyd Webber for cello, and another for girls choir.

Bein' Green

2009-04-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

In the immortal words of Kermit the Frog (and composer/lyricist Joe Raposo), "It's not that easy bein' green." Musicians use lots of electricity in performing, from plugging in electronic instruments, to stage lighting and sound systems. Even acoustic instruments are frequently "plugged in" these days. Instruments are made of all sorts of materials, from wood and metal to plastic and glass. But musicians can "recycle" their instruments by making sure the instruments go to someone who will use them when the musicians no longer need them. Trade ins or trade ups for other instruments, handing them down in the family, and selling them are all ways of "recycling". And in Lincoln, the Lincoln Music Teachers Association accepts donations of instruments for use by participants in their Outreach Program, bringing the joy of making music to children who might not otherwise be able to participate. Musical instruments can last a long long time with proper care and maintenance. Happy Earth Day.

The Voice

2009-04-17T09:52:00.000-07:00

I couldn't let the "instant" success of Susan Boyle go without comment. Susan Boyle, 47 year old contestant on the TV show Britain's Got Talent, captured the hearts of the judges and the audience with her rendition of I dreamed a dream (from Les Mis). The snickers stopped as soon as she began to sing. One YouTube video clip of the performance has had 19 million hits as of the writing of this post. Susan Boyle wants to be a professional singer, and judging from the world's response, she will fulfill her dream.

A recent book, The Voice, by Thomas Quasthoff, relates experiences that are in some respects similar to those of Susan Boyle. Thomas Quasthoff is a German bass-baritone who has described himself as "1.3 meters tall, short arms, seven fingers -- four right, three left -- large relatively formed head, brown eyes, distinctive lips; profession: singer." In his initial professional appearance, the snickers stopped as soon as he started singing, just as they did for Susan Boyle. Quasthoff is an international reknowned classical singer who has broken many barriers for people with disabilities -- his a result of the thalidomide his mother took during her pregnancy.

Musical talent is not dependent on a beautiful appearance, youth, or any of the other ways people are stereotyped. One of the competition's judges called Susan Boyle's performance "a wake up call."

If anything can be learned from Susan Boyle, it is to develop your talents, use them, and go for your dreams.

All You Need is a Quarter

2009-04-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

As I was cataloging a June Christy CD, I came across a song title that intrigued me, All you need is a quarter -- this being tax day and all. It's not a song from the depression, but rather from the 1960 musical Do Re Mi. The lyrics are by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and music by Jule Styne. And it's not particularly philosophical; it's about needing a quarter for the slot machine.

Off the top of my head, I haven't been able to think of very many songs about money today. There's We're in the money (The gold digger's song). There's The money song (Money, money) from Cabaret. But with a little research, lots of songs appear from rock, country, musicals, blues...

And about taxes, the only one I could think of is George Harrison's Taxman, but I'm sure there are others to hunt down on this tax day.

No Foolin'

2009-04-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

April 1st is April Fool's Day, with a tradition of practical jokes. Instead, here's a nice collection of Musical Instrument Jokes to lighten your day.

For some light reading, try Victor Borge's My Favorite Comedies in Music or other books of musical anecdotes. You'll find them at the Polley Music Library.

Or, how about some novelty songs. We may have no bananas, but we do have a lovely bunch of coconuts along with some shoo-fly pie and, of course, the ice cream we all scream for in Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen by the Sea. The Polley Library has several novelty songbooks.

Have a wonderful light-hearted day.

Ben Webster at 100

2009-03-27T12:08:00.001-07:00

Today is the 100th anniversary of Ben Webster's birth. Webster was one of the great jazz tenor sax players of the 1930s and 1940s, considered the equal of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.

Ben Webster was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 27, 1909. He studied piano and violin, and attended Wilberforce College. After college, he played piano in a silent movie-theater and played in several bands. He picked up the saxophone and soon was playing tenor sax in a variety of bands. In 1934, Webster moved to New York to join Fletcher Henderson's band. During the 30's, he also worked with musicians such as Benny Carter, Cab Calloway, Roy Eldridge, and Teddy Wilson. By 1940, Webster became a regular member of Duke Ellington's band, and soon became one of its featured soloists. While he was only with Ellington a brief few years, Webster had a great influence on the band.

By 1964, Ben Webster moved to Europe -- one of the many American jazz exiles. He briefly lived in the Netherlands before moving to Denmark, where he resided the rest of his life. During his years in Europe, he recorded prolifically. Webster died in Amsterdam on September 20, 1973.

There are a couple of biographies of Ben Webster,

Ben Webster: his life and music, by J. de Valk (c2001)
Someone to watch over me: the life and music of Ben Webster, by Frank Buchmann-Moller (c2006)

The Polley Music Library has both of these books. Come check them out.

Rustle of Spring

2009-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

The calendar says that it is spring, but the weatherman is not quite so sure. The Polley Music Library would like to celebrate the beginning of spring by sharing one of the world's best-loved spring pieces, Christian Sinding's Rustle of Spring.

Christian Sinding (1856-1941) was a Norwegian composer deemed (in Norway) to be the successor to Edvard Grieg. He studied in Germany, and his much of his music was in the style of German romanticism. He wrote small pieces -- songs and piano pieces -- and big works -- symphonies and operatic works. But the work that has survived the changes in taste over the years is Rustle of Spring, written in 1896.

Enjoy the sounds of spring.

Beethoven's Irish Songs

2009-03-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

So what about Beethoven's Irish songs? Or, should I say, O'Beethoven's?

George Thomson (1757-1851) of Glasgow, Scotland, was a publisher and collector of folk songs. He commissioned composers of his day to set the folksongs, paying them well. Among the composers who took Thomson up on his offer were the Austrian Ignaz Josef Pleyel, the Bohemian Leopold Kozeluch, Franz Joseph Haydn, and even Ludwig van Beethoven.

Beethoven began his folksong settings in 1809 and continued with them off and on until 1820. Beethoven spent considerable time on the folksong settings and attempted to make them of real musical interest. Most of the folksong settings are for voice with a piano trio accompaniment (piano, violin and cello), and are not simple settings. While Thomson was most interested in British Isles songs, Beethoven expanded his own scope to include German, Danish, Tyrolean, Polish, Spanish, Russian, Hungarian and Italian texts, even though Thomson would only publish the Scottish, Irish, Welsh and other British songs.

All in all, Beethoven wrote approximately 64 Irish songs, most of which were published in the groups Twenty-five Irish Songs (WoO 152, 1814), Twenty Irish Songs (WoO 153, 1814-1816), and Twelve Irish Songs (WoO 154, 1816), all published in Edinburgh and London

Irish Suite

2009-03-04T13:50:00.000-08:00

What's that Irish music that the Pops played? Well, it just might have been Leroy Anderson's The Irish Suite. Leroy Anderson (1908-1975) is considered the major 20th century American composer of light orchestral miniatures. And he was the primary arranger of music for the Boston Pops Orchestra during the Fiedler years.

Based on Irish tunes, The Irish Suite was composed in 11 or 12 days in 1947, as a four movement suite entitled Eire Suite. It was first performed by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. Anderson revised his suite in 1949, adding two movements and changing the order the movements are performed. Leroy Anderson wanted people to know that the suite was originally commissioned by the Eire Society of Boston, and that the score was dedicated to Arthur Fiedler. The movements are as follows:

The Irish Washerwoman, the first movement, is a traditional Irish jig -- a fast lively dance. The dance tune, a staple of fiddlers, has had many melodic variants, many texts set to it, and many titles. The earliest use of the title, The Irish Washerwoman, dates to 1792. Leroy Anderson emulates the traditional Irish fiddle and the tin or penny whistle sounds with the violins and the flutes and piccolo.
The Minstrel Boy, the second movement, is based on the patriotic Irish song by Thomas Moore (1779-1852) and the melody called The Moreen. Moore wrote The Minstrel Boy as a memorial to some of his friends who had taken part in the 1798 rebellion of the United Irishmen. In the song, the minstrel went to war with his harp and a sword, but he perished, and his harp would never speak again. "Thy songs were made for the pure and free, they shall never sound in slavery." Anderson captures the feeling of the song with a slow march over an ostinato bass, and the distant trumpets and drums of war.
The Rakes of Mallow, the third movement, pictures the "carousing and rioting of the young bloods of Mallow," according to Leroy Anderson. The song dates back to approximately 1740, when the term "rake" applied to men who participated in a variety of dissolute behavior. Anderson depicts the escalation of the drinking, partying, and whoring of the rakes by having the music go faster and become noisier throughout the piece.
The Wearing of the Green is an anonymous Irish street ballad from around 1798, the time of the rebellion of the United Irishmen. Green was the color of the United Irishmen, and a shamrock in the hat was a sign of rebellion. The display of nationalistic or revolutionary signs, such as the color green, was punishable by hanging by the British authorities. Anderson treats this fourth movement as a scherzo, with the melody alternating between the sections of the orchestra. The strings play pizzicato throughout the movement.
The Last Rose of Summer is based on the 1805 poem by Thomas Moore and its musical setting by Sir John Stevenson. Friedrich von Flotow used the song throughout his opera Martha in the 1840s. The beauty and poignancy of the last rose of summer are depicted in Anderson's fifth movement through a beautiful violin solo, with an accompaniment of strings, horns and trombones.
The Girl I Left Behind Me, the final movement of The Irish Suite, is a military march -- a fife tune -- used by British, American and Irish soldiers. It probably dates back to the mid-17th century and its origins are uncertain, but it is known to have had several different names. It was first published in Dublin in 1791. Anderson included The Girl I Left Behind Me in his Irish Suite because the song was "Irish by adoption." Leroy Anderson particularly noted the contrapuntal effects near the end of the movement, where the piccolo and the flutes (the fifes) play the first part of the melody against the second part of the melody played by the horns.

This blog post was based on program notes written by the Polley Music Librarian for a Leroy Anderson centennial concert of the Lincoln Civic Orchestra in April, 2008.

A favorite Irish rocker

2009-03-02T10:51:00.000-08:00

When one thinks of Irish rockers, Bono or Adam Clayton of U2, and Enya are the first who come to mind. But there's another favorite Irish rocker of mine -- Gary Moore. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1952, Moore is a fabulous guitarist, a musical and technical virtuoso who can make the guitar do almost anything. While Gary Moore has played in such bands as Thin Lizzy, Skid Row, Colosseum and G-Force, he has also had a very successful solo career. His album, After the War, is strongly Celtic influenced. Still got the Blues is his best known song in the US. For a sample of his work, check out Gary Moore on MySpace Music. Or, find a CD at the library.

Budapest Library Music Displays

2009-02-27T07:55:00.001-08:00

This lovely sheet music display is from the National Library. While the sheet music is visually attractive, this display is also informational, with a paragraph about the Hungarian operetta composer, Franz Lehar. Sheet music is of interest to collectors because of the cover art, to cultural historians as artifacts of a period, and to musicians for the musical content.

The Central Library of the Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library is the main library of Budapest's public library system. Located within the historic Wenckheim Palace (and additions), the public library has beautiful spaces for its various reading rooms and function rooms. And the display spaces are beautiful, too.

The Arts Reading Room of the Central Library is located in the former formal dining room, and by the former large ballroom, currently used as a function room. In this case, the sideboards house the reference collection for this reading room. The ballet and other dance reference books are in the case in the picture. Note the piano. The music library department of the main library is located in another palace across the street.

At the Polley Music Library, we display our materials, too, but not in such beautiful surroundings. As we create our March displays, we'll be taking inspiration from these beautiful displays from libraries in Budapest.

The Influence of African American Music

2009-02-21T11:48:00.000-08:00

February is African American History Month, and Lincoln City Libraries celebrates it with an African American read-in, as well as displays throughout the library system. In the Polley Music Library, we have had a display of books on the history of African American music. Just thumbing through those books provides a wealth of information about the influence of the musical activities of Black Americans on music.

In the area of popular 20th century music, African Americans transformed it. Ragtime, jazz, the blues, soul, R&B, boogie-woogie, Funk, doo wop, rap and hip-hop are all essentially African American music forms that have gone on to world-wide popularity. Rock music, too, is considered to have "black" roots.

Historically, the "Ethiopian" minstrelsy influenced vaudeville, which in turn influenced the musical stage.

As for religious music, spirituals to gospel music, the African American influence is evident.

And African American performers have participated in all types of music -- singers Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson, composer William Grant Still, and country musician Charley Pride immediately come to mind.

African American music is American music.

You can find information about all of this...and much more in the Polley Music Library. And try listening to the recordings available in the African American Song database from the Polley webpage. (You'll need your library card number to log in).

Felix Mendelssohn at 200

2009-02-03T07:39:00.001-08:00

Today, February 3rd is the 200th anniversary of Felix Mendelssohn's birth. Mendelssohn had a short life, only living to the age of 38. However, he was a prolific composer and is well-respected to this day.

Mendelssohn was somewhat of a musical prodigy as a pianist and composer. His adolescent works had an unusual maturity, including the overture to Midsummer Night's Dream (composed at age 17) which showed an equal mastery as the remaining pieces of the incidental music composed 15 years later. About half of his chamber music output was composed before the age of 20, as were about half of his solo piano works.

At the age of 20, Mendelssohn conducted the performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion in Berlin that started a Bach revival. He beame conductor of Leipzig's famous Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1835 -- at the age of 26 -- and influenced German musical culture greatly through the musicians he engaged and the repertoire he conducted. In 1842, he organized the Leipzig Conservatory, with a star-studded faculty, including himself, Schumann, Hauptmann (music theory), David (violin), Becker (organ), Plaidy and Wenzel (piano). He toured throughout his musical career, allowing people all over Europe to become familiar with his works, his conducting, and his playing. This German was particularly favored in England.

Felix Mendelssohn died in 1847, not long after the death of his favorite sister, Fanny (also a composer, but some of whose works were originally published under the name of Felix).

In the 20th century, Nazi Germany censored the works of Felix Mendelssohn, as being of Jewish, even though the family had converted to Protestantism. It is now believed that this censorship created a greater appreciation for the work of Felix Mendelssohn afterwards.

My favorites from the works of Mendelssohn just happen to be some his most popular pieces: the oratorio Elijah, the violin concerto, Songs without Words for piano, Fingal's Cave (Hebrides) overture, and the Italian symphony (Symphony no. 4).

The library has lots of Mendelssohn in our collection -- scores and CDs. Or, you can find plenty of Mendelssohn on the Classical Music Library database from the website. We also have several biographies if you would like to learn more about Felix Mendelssohn's life.

Happy birthday, Felix!

A Birthday of Note for Flute Players

2009-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy 250th birthday, Francois Devinne!

Devienne was born on January 31, 1759 (Joinville, Haute-Marne, France). The French flute style traces its origins to Devienne, a professor at the Paris Conservatoire from 1795 and author of Methode de Flute, first published in Paris that same year. Devienne was a flutist and bassoonist, and a prolific composer of music for wind instruments. Unfortunately, Devienne died in 1803 in the insane asylum at Charenton.

For you flutists, the Polley Music Library has parts for some flute sonatas, duets and trios. Check them out.

Air and Simple Gifts

2009-01-26T11:38:00.001-08:00

Nearly a week has gone by since the inauguration of President Obama and the flaps about the inaugural music. It's time for a short recap.

The centerpiece of the inaugural music was Air and Simple Gifts, composed and arranged by John Williams for a quartet of violin, cello, clarinet and piano. That unusual instrumentation just happens to be the same as was used by Messiaen in his Quartet for the End of Time. The performers were Itzhak Perlman (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano), and Anthony McGill (clarinet) -- a group of fabulous musicians. The music heard over the loudspeakers and broadcast was actually from a recording made by the quartet two days earlier. The musicians were wearing earpieces to be able to coordinate with the recording in the frigid cold. They also had their music in front of them, although the cameras did not generally catch that. For the record, the chief librarian of the US Marine Band had the pleasure (and responsibility) of affixing their music so it would not blow away. Did they actually play? Reports vary, with some who were there being sure that they did, and some that they only mimed. Reception of the piece by critics was also varied. Simple Gifts is a Shaker tune that was featured prominently by Aaron Copland in Appalachian Spring, as well as being set by Copland as one of his Old American Songs. Williams' Air and Simple Gifts is surely Americana, fit for the inauguration.

Aretha Franklin, afterwards, was very unhappy with how she sang in the cold. Her piece was America (My Country 'tis of Thee).

The US Marine Band did play live, complete with frozen tuba valves that the musicians worked diligently to get unfrozen in time to play their parts. Barack Obama's arrival was heralded with Hail, America! (written by George Drumm, and arranged by Thomas Clark). Hail to the Chief was performed immediately after President Obama's oath. The US Marine Band has posted a list of what it played.

Hail to the New Chief

2009-01-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

In a few hours, Barack Obama will take the oath of office and become the 44th president of the United States of America. On a musical note, the inaugural ceremonies feature plenty of music, including selections from the US Marine Band, the San Francisco Boys Chorus and San Francisco Girls Chorus, Aretha Franklin, the national anthem performed by the US Navy Band Sea Chanters, and a new work by John Williams performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriela Montero and Anthony McGill. Then there will be the parade, with lots of marching bands.

Later in the day, President Obama may first hear Hail to the Chief, the piece of music most closely tied to the office of President. It's been around a long time and has an interesting history. The original text is from Sir Walter Scott's Lady of the Lake just like Schubert's Ave Maria (though with a Goethe translation). These days Hail to the Chief is usually played by a military band without any singers.

The Public Music Library in Budapest

2009-01-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Budapest's public library, the Metropolitan Ervin Szabo Library, has a very large music collection located in the Palffy Palace across the street from the main library. A lovely fenced garden with a statue of Bartok enhances the facility. The building is beautiful, but the music library faces the challenges of providing modern music library service in the historic structure.

The music collection focuses on classical music, jazz and folk music. Popular music, especially on compact disc, is located in the popular materials collections of the public library. The music collection contains a huge number of scores, as well as periodicals, music books, and audio and video recordings.

As with most libraries, the librarians are working hard to increase patronage. To this end, they offer concerts -- many in the music library itself, with a few in the main library. To make space for the performers and concertgoers, the librarians move book shelves and tables, and voila, a concert space is created. My first thought on seeing the garden was what a perfect place it would be for a guitarist to perform on a summer evening.

I had a wonderful visit at the music library and with the music librarians. In Budapest and in Lincoln we share many of the same library issues; we're all working hard to turn challenges into opportunities and to ensure that our music users will have access to the collections and information they and you need.

Happy new year

2009-01-03T13:06:00.001-08:00

The Polley Music Library wishes all musicians and music lovers a very happy new year.With the new year, you can expect more web 2.0 applications from the Polley Music Library, more new music materials for you (Polley's customers) to use, and continued answers to your music questions asked in person, by phone, by mail, or by e-mail. And, more digitiation of Polley's unique materials, time allowing.Thank you for your patronage.

Music at Hungary's National Library

2008-12-26T10:39:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving break, the Polley music librarian was fortunate to be able to visit libraries during her vacation in Budapest. The National Szechenyi Library has it's music collection in a combined music and theater department, the reading room of which is at the right.

My hostess for the visit was the sound archivist at the National Library. She first tempted me with some manuscripts from their collections. The have a fine collection of Haydn because of the Esterhazy connection -- Haydn worked for the Esterhazy's for nearly 30 years. Some of the Haydn materials will be traveling for the 200th anniversary of Haydn's death in May 2009.

I enjoyed looking at the Dohnanyi manuscript, but the one of most interest to me as a musician was the Bartok piano sonata. Bartok had performed from that manuscript and there were performance notations, scribbled measures to facilitate page turns and measures of music inserted in "bubbles".

The National Szechenyi Library has an active digitization program for their sound materials, including historic wax cylinders and other outdated formats. In the reading room, they have extensive playback facilities, making their sound collections accessible to their users.

I truly appreciated the opportunity to visit the National Library. Hungary has a long musical tradition and the library documents it well.

Happy birthday, Giacomo

2008-12-22T13:21:00.000-08:00

Today is the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Puccini's birth. Of course, the Polley Music Library has a special display to celebrate. We have biographies about Puccini, books about his operas, opera vocal scores and libretti, DVDs, and CDs. A few of the books on display include:

The Unknown Puccini
Puccini Without Excuses
Puccini and the Girl
The Puccini Companion
Monsieur Butterfly
The Operas of Puccini
Puccini: a Biography

For listening or viewing, check out the following operas:

La Boheme
Madama Butterfly
Tosca
Turandot
La Fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West)
Manon Lescaut
Gianni Schicchi
La Rondine
Suor Angelica
Il Tabarro
Edgar
Le Villi

Happy birthday, Giacomo!

Polley visits Budapest Music Scene

2008-12-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

While the Polley Music Library was closed for an extended Thanksgiving holiday, the Polley music librarian was vacationing in Budapest. Wow! Budapest is a city of music.

The new Palace of Arts in the Millennium City Centre is quite spectacular. It houses the Ludwig Museum of contemporary art as well as two concert halls. The smaller hall, the Festival Theatre, is home to the National Dance Theatre, while the larger hall, the Bartok National Concert Hall, is home to the National Philharmonic. The Concert Hall seats up to 1,800 and has a state of the art acoustical system that provides almost unlimited acoustical adjustability for a wide variety of music performances. Opened in 2005, the Palace of Arts also holds smaller concerts and performances on landings outside the halls. I was fortunate to tour the Palace of Arts.

The very ornate State Opera House opened in 1884. It was designed by the Hungarian architect Miklos Ybl. I attended a wonderful performance of Minkus' ballet, La Bayadere, performed by the Hungarian National Ballet. The dancing was great, including the corps de ballet. And the orchestra down in the pit played beautifully. The music of Leopold Minkus and the choreography fit together very well. La Bayadere is one of Leopold Minkus' most renowned ballets. And there is an operetta theater close by the opera house.

I toured the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. The Academy has two concert halls, the larger one seating 1,200, and the smaller one seating about 400. These halls are part of the Budapest music scene. A quirky note: while I was there, a student orchestra was on stage rehearsing; the orchestra first tuned to A, and then the oboe gave a B flat for the brass to tune a second time.

Music is performed elsewhere in Budapest, too -- churches, museums and libraries all host concerts. And then there is an active club scene.

Lincoln, too, has an active music scene. No spectacular 19th century opera houses, but a history of music performance back to the early days of the community. Especially this time of year, there are many musical events to enjoy.

The Music of Old Nebraska, Part 2

2008-11-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

The music of old Nebraska was made up of much more than just sheet music. Music was an important part of the life of Nebraskans, and there was an active musical culture here. Lincoln had competing schools of music. There were many performance opportunities for amateurs. And, even professionals were able to make their way as Nebraska musicians.

The Polley Music Library collection documents this musical activity with programs, photographs, and other items, a selection of which have been digitized for the Nebraska Memories digital library project of the Nebraska Library Commission.

The Music of Old Nebraska

2008-11-22T13:17:00.000-08:00

One of the ways to get sheet music these days is to find it on the web and download it or print it off, sometimes for a fee, and sometimes for free. The Polley Music Library has free sheet music from our collection available on our web page in two collections, the Polley Digital Archive and the Music of Old Nebraska project. The digitization of this music was funded by LSTA grants.

Old Age Blues has music by Jess Williams and lyrics by Pete Curtis, and dates from 1921. Jess Williams is one of the people who kept ragtime music alive, performing at the American Folklife Festival in 1976. Information about the Nebraska composers is available in an annotated composer catalog.

The collection contains many songs about Nebraska.

World War I brought the service flag, and the stars changed from blue to gold with the death of the service member.

The variety of sheet music is quite amazing. And it's all by Nebraskans or about Nebraska or Nebraskans in the Music of Old Nebraska. Check out our digitized collections.

The Music of Life

2008-11-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

This fall the Polley Music Library compiled a list of compact discs that contained both relaxing and expansive music for use with a class at the local community college. Feedback was that the music was perfect for the intended purpose. Needless to say, musical emotions and reactions are very personal, and culturally predicated. If you would like to listen to relaxing and uplifting music as the hectic time of the holiday season approaches, you might try some of the albums listed here.

Bell, Joshua. Voice of the violin
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Intermezzo
Botti, Chris. Italia
Curiale, Joseph. Awakening
Curiale, Joseph. The music of life
Faure, Gabriel. Pelleas et Melisande, op. 80 [and] Dolly
Galway, James. The Celtic minstrel
Grusin, Dave. The orchestral album
Loussier, Jacques. Jacques Loussier Trio plays Debussy
Ma, Yo Yo. Simply baroque
Morricone, Ennio. Yo Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone
O'Grady, Geraldine. The lark in the clear air
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Cinema serenade
Rittenour, Lee. Two worlds
Rodrigo, Joaquin. Concerto de Aranjuez
Rutter, John. Distant land
Satie, Erik. The magic of Satie
Tailleferre, Germaine. Works for two pianos & piano 4-hands

November is Native American Heritage Month

2008-11-19T05:39:00.000-08:00

Lincoln City Libraries celebrates Native American Heritage Month with a Native American read-in and book displays. A display in the Polley Music Library features books on the music on Native Americans. Some of those included are:

The art of the native American flute, by R. Carlos Nakai and James Demars

Choctaw music and dance, by James H. Howard and victoria Lindsay Levine

Flute magic: an introduction to the native American flute, by Tim R. Crawford

Myth, music and dance of the American Indian, by Ruth De Cesare

The Power of Kiowa song, by Luke E. Lassiter

Putting a song on top of it: expression and identity on the San Carlos Apache Reservation, by David W. Samuels

Songprints: the musical experience of five Shoshone women, by Judith Vander

Southern Cheyenne women's songs, by Virginia Giglio

A study of Omaha Indian music, by Alice C. Fletcher

War dance: plains Indian musical performance, by William K. Powers

We'll be in your mountains, we'll be in your songs: a Navajo woman sings, by Ellen McCullough-Brabson and Marilyn Help

Of course the library has other resources on Native American music -- compact discs and the Smithsonian Global Sounds database, to name a couple.

One of the best resources on the web for Native American music is in the American Memories project of the Library of Congress, using sources from the American Folklife Center Archives. Check out the Omaha Indian Music page.

Nebraska, too, has many ties to Indianist composers who used Native American music, through inspiration or adptation. Thurlow Lieurance, Derrick Norman Lehmer, and Charles Wakefield Cadman all spent time in Nebraska with Indianist compositional leanings. Some Indianist pieces are included in the Music of Old Nebraska project on the Polley Music Library web page.