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| Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland |
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| Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears |
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| After Emancipation, groups of newly-freed slaves from black colleges, such as the Fisk Jubilee Singers, took spirituals and other styles on the road to raise awareness of black musical culture and talent. |  |
Paul Robeson Marian Anderson William Grant Still (composer) Harry Belafonte Miles Davis Odetta Curtis Mayfield Nina Simone Bernice Johnson Reagon |
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June 14 is "Flag Day" a commemoration of the day in 1777 when the Second Continental Congress adopted the stars & stripes as the official flag for the new country. The date wasn't celebrated until World War I, when President Wilson established June 14 as Flag Day Since then, Americans have been encouraged to fly the flag for the entire week that includes June 14, and many communities hold celebrations or parades.
The most famous song about the flag is the Star Spangled Banner, which tells the story of the flag that flew during the Battle of Fort McHenry. Francis Scott Key wrote the words and set them to a pre-existing melody, Anacreon in Heaven. It has been America's National Anthem since 1931. The original hand-written copy of the lyrics (left) is owned by the Library of Congress. 
Bracken Library student assistants (and some full-time staff) have been busy for weeks moving the Music Collection print resources to the 4th floor in preparation for Lower Level recarpeting. All the MLs are now on the 4th floor, and the MTs are almost all there. The last books to be moved will be the reference collection. |  |
What began as a single day of pride commemorating the Stonewall Riots of 1969 that sparked the Gay Liberation Movement has grown to a whole month: In 2000, June was designated an official month of celebration and memorials.
Several of the Twentieth Century's top composers were gay. You can hear the variety of styles they represented on Compact Disc 4419, Gay American Composers and Compact Disc 4904, Lesbian American Composers
One of the best known early car songs comes from the 1930s: "Terraplane Blues" by Robert Johnson Nobody remembers the car anymore, but Robert Johnson is still revered as possibly the best blues artist ever recorded, and this song is one of his signature songs. |  1935 Hudson Terraplane |
| From the 1950s: Chuck Berry, No Particular Place to Go From the 1960s: Beach Boys: 409, Fun Fun Fun, and Little Deuce COupe Jan & Dean: Dead Man's Curve Ronny & the Daytonas Little G.T.O. |  1961 Chevy Impala 409 |
| From The 1970s:Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen: Hot Rod Lincoln Janis Joplin: Mercedes Benz War: Low Rider Blackfoot: The Highway Song |  Low Rider Car |
From the 1980s & later: Gary Numan: Cars Queen I'm in Love with My Car Bruce Springsteen's Cadillac Ranch Or you could just check out the music of The Cars. | |
| For fun reading, check out this list of the 100 Greatest Car Songs. | |
| Some of the audio listening carrels have been dismantled, but you can still use other listening carrels (behind the glass wall) for reserve listening. Just ask at the service counter if you have any questions. |  |
 | Books and scores are already being moved to their temporary quarters on the fourth floor. The M2s and M3s are already there! Check for them in the Northeast corner of the Fourth Floor, just past group study rooms 409 and 410. |
Contact me to set up a time to meet and I'll be happy to help you. 765-285-5065 BSUMusicLibn on AIM |  |
Planning your wedding? Planning someone else's wedding? Playing a "gig" at a stranger's wedding? The Music Collection has songbooks and recordings to help you get ready for the big day. Musicians & the happy couple can work together to find just the right pieces for the big event.
If you are a pianist, you might want to consult Maurice Hinson's Classical music for the Wedding Service: Piano Literature Appropriate for the Wedding Service.
| Monday | 3:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 5:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 2:00 p.m. |
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| Monday-Thursday | 7:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. |
| Friday | 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | 9:00 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m. |
Though not the official national day of Mexico (which is September 16), May 5th, or "Cinco de Mayo" (pronounced Sink-o day My-o) is a day for Mexican-Americans and Mexicans to celebrate their cultural heritage. People mark the day with celebrations with parties and cultural events. The date has become so popular that you no longer need to be Mexican to take part. Like St. Patrick's Day and Oktoberfest, everyone can be Mexican on May 5th.
Bands can have as few as four members but some have over twenty. Traditionally, mariachi groups have been all-male, but women are increasingly active, either in mixed-sex groups or all-women ensembles such as the Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles (left).
Jazz began as an instrumental form, with the combos of New Orleans jazz. During the Swing Era some big bands moved from being primarily instrumental dance bands to bands that backed vocalists, drawing from the popular song traditions of Tin Pan Alley. This became more common during World War II, as radio entertained the troops (who of course might not be dancing). The band was still usually named for the instrumentalist who led the band, and several singers might perform with the band. A few of the singers who fronted these bands became stars in their own right, continuing to sing after Big Bands died out: Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Mel Tormé, Rosemary Clooney, Carmen McRae, Anita O'Day, Pearl Bailey, and Doris Day.  |  |
Women:
Currently active singers: | Men:
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| Vocal groups: | |
| Manhattan Transfer Andews Sisters Mills Brothers |  |
Drums are essential to African music, and as a style with origins in African-American aesthetics, it's natural that drums would be essential to jazz. There are many kinds of drums and many types of struck instruments that make up the "percussion" section of a jazz group.
The classic drumset consists of a bass drum (sideways), a snare drum, a second drum with a deeper sound (tom), and cymbals on a stand. The drummer can add an almost unlimited number of drums, cymbals and smaller instruments to the set-up. These small instruments can be common sounds such as cowbell, or exotic sounds from almost any culture of the world.
The drummer traditionally sits at the back of the jazz ensemble, but could sometimes be heard as a soloist. During the Swing Era, many drummers had their turn in the limelight. One of the first big stars of the drumset was Gene Krupa (above) who got his start with the Benny Goodman Orchestra, then went on to lead his own group. He was followed by Buddy Rich, who started his career as a small child in the 1920s, then led his own band and gained national recognition through television appearances, staying active well into the 1980s.
Most of the best drummers have appeared as "sidemen" accompanying soloists as part of the standard jazz rhythm section (guitar or piano, bass, and drums). Because of this, it's difficult to categorize drummers by style. The drumset is the backbone of all the styles, but different parts will be featured. For example, "cool" or West Coast jazz drummers use "brushes" on cymbals for a distinct, soft tone. In Latin-influenced groups hand percussion such as maracas may be more prominent. Many drummers have led long careers spanning styles and adapted to different circumstances. The following is a rough breakdown:
Big Band percussionists:
Cool jazz drummers:
Fusion:
The trumpet (and sometimes its cousins the cornet & flugelhorn) has been one of the leading instruments of jazz since the beginnings of the art.
Although the performers were equal partners in combos of the Bebop (or "Bop) era of the 1950s, some trumpet players became stars in this era. Most notably, Miles Davis began his long career in the 1940s and continued until his death in 1991. He collaborated with top performers of each era, and became one of the most influential musicians of jazz through his revolutionary changes of style. He brought in strands from other popular music styles, creating the controversial "fusion" movement.
Click these links to search CardCat for recordings of the jazz trumpet players listed:
Louis Armstrong
Chet Baker
Bunny Berigan
Bix Beiderbecke
Clifford Brown
Donald Byrd
Miles Davis
Wild Bill Davison
Harry "Sweets" Edison
Roy Eldridge
Art Farmer
Maynard Ferguson
Dizzy Gillespie
Al Hirt
Freddie Hubbard
Thad Jones
Wynton Marsalis
Lee Morgan
Fats Navarro
Red Rodney
Arturo Sandoval
Woody Shaw
Clark Terry
The clarinet and its cousin the saxophone have been two of the most popular instruments of jazz since the earliest days of the style. The clarinet was one of the central players of New Orleans jazz, and continued to be popular through the Swing (or "Big Band") era, when Benny Goodman (above) was its chief proponent. Other clarinetist-band leaders of the Swing Era were Artie Shaw and Woody Herman.
The earliest jazz ensembles used the banjo and piano for making chords but with the development of electrification, the guitar replaced it in post-War jazz. Inventor-craftsmen with now-famous names like Gibson, Fender, Les Paul and Rickenbacker turned the soft-sounding instrument into one capable of holding its own against trumpets, saxophones, pianos, and drums. The Smithsonian owns many innovative guitars, and has posted pictures of some important and interesting guitars here. For books on developments in guitar-making, use the subject keyword search guitar and history.Famous early guitarists: |  |
Guitarists of the 1950s-1960s: |  |
Modern stars of jazz guitar include: |  |
