Classical Music for Halloween

Many of the spooky tunes you know from years of Halloween fun are actually works by some of the world's most famous composers!  Check these out on CD from the Music Collection or stream them from Naxos Music Library:



Johann Sebastian Bach, Toccata in D Minor, BWV 565

Camille Saint-Saens, Danse Macabre

Giuseppe Verdi, Requiem (Dies Irae)

Franz Liszt, Mephisto Waltz

Modest Mussorgsky, Night on Bare (Bald) Mountain

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique (March to the Scaffold movement)

Gustav Holst, The Planets ("Mars" especially)

Charles Gounod, Funeral March of a Marionette

Orff, Carmina Burana

Edvard Grieg Peer Gynt Suite (In the Hall of the Mountain King)

Score Shelving Update

The scores are on the move, but unfortunately some of the shelving is also on the move!  Things may seem randomly out of place or they may seem to have disappeared, because we just can't reorganize everything all at once.  We hope to have the shelves back in good order soon.  As always, feel free to ask for assistance from the Music Collection staff or from the staff at the main circulation counter on the First Floor.

Thank you for your understanding as we work to improve our services.

New! Study tables in the Music Collection

In an effort to create more study space in the library, the Music Collection will add tables in the far corner of the book stacks, near the windows. To make room, there will be some reorganization of the shelves. Unfortunately, this means moving some of the books and scores that have returned from the Fourth Floor, and a short delay in moving the rest from the Fourth Floor to the Lower Level.

Please don't hesitate to ask for help when searching for print materials in the Music Collection!

Ball State Music for Homecoming

Are you coming to campus for Homecoming? Did you forget the music for your alma mater? The Library's Archives &Special Collections area has digitized historic Ball State music for the web. Check it out:

http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/193922

MLs are on the move!

Most of the scores are on hold because they need special shelving, so the night crew have been moving other areas back to the MC from their temporary quarters on the Fourth Floor.  The following are now back on the Lower Level:

• M 1-3 (Collected Editions, 3-day reserves)
• ML 1 - ML 178 A
• MT (all)
• Oversized ML & MT books

 As always, feel free to ask for help if you're unable to find something you need.

Oversized books are back!

Oversized books (kept on the low shelves in the middle of the MLs) have returned from their vacation on the Fourth Floor!  If the move seems a little scattered, it is.  The scores (M classification) require some special handling and they're on hold for now.  Fret not!  (unless you're a guitarist!)  The rest of the printed material will be back on the Lower Level soon!

MTs are back where they belong!



Jamey Aebersold vol. 84


Welcome home, Library of Congress classification MT (Music teaching & theory).  Located between the two rest rooms on the Lower Level West, the MTs include a new acquisition: The Jamey Aebersold series of play-along score/CD sets for jazz practice.  Find them at MT 68 J36.

The Scores are returning home!

Music Collection shelves have been reassembled and await the return of music books and scores.  The first to arrive are the M2s and M3s, toward the far back wall.  As of today, we have the composer editions through Willaert back where they belong.  The night staff have been doing the heavy lifting, so each morning there should be more books on the shelves.

Feel free to call before deciding which elevator button to push!

Hispanic Heritage Month: Styles and Genres to Explore

Each Spanish-speaking country has its own unique styles, though there have been many instances of styles crossing borders, including many styles that became popular in the United States. Some genres originated in the United States, which of course includes some territories formerly "owned" by Spain. Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, brought Anglo influences to Puerto Rico, and island culture to the U.S. mainland. The most recent popular Hispanic genre has been attributed to Puerto Ricans: "Reggaeton," or rap/hip-hop in Spanish.

Compact Disc 12685

Some other popular styles that originated in Latin America:

mambo, a Cuban dance form made popular in the 1950s by artists such as Perez Prado, composer of the original "Mambo No. 5."

Tango, developed in Argentina and brought to a high art form by Astor Piazzola.

Mariachi, from the Southwestern U.S. and Northern Mexico (Norteña).



Corridos, story-telling songs of history and heroism.

Banda, and Conjunto,derived from polka music.

Salsa, fast-paced music from Cuba.

Latin Jazz, which synthesizes jazz and one or more Latin American genres.

You can search by country or language using the Libraries' Media Finder for World Music, or by country using the Media Finder for Musical Recordings (other than classical).

New Website Deisgn

Check out the University Libraries' new website:

http://www.bsu.edu/library

"Research Tools"  includes links to the Libraries' catalog "(CardCat" as well as other important resources.  CardCat, WorldCat, the Music Subject Guides and the Music Databases still look and function the same as before, but navigating to them is just slightly different now.

The Music Collection page has tips and links you may find useful.  Please let us know if there's something you think we can improve!

http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries/CollectionsAndDept/Music.aspx

Reference Books are Back!

Life is slowly returning to normal.  One positive sign is the return of the Music Collection Reference books to the wall behind the circulation counter.  There is a cart available for you to leave books after using them -- PLEASE DO NOT RESHELVE BOOKS!

Oversized Reference books are still on the 4th Floor - East, in the opposite corner from the part of the building occupied by the Music Collection.

Scores and circulating books are also on the 4th Floor, and will return in a few weeks.

Keep an eye on this blog for more updates, or just stop in and look around!

Welcome back!

Welcome back, fellow musicians! 

The Lower Level of Bracken Library has new carpeting, and the Ball State Libraries' website has a new design: http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries.aspx.   It's still in the try-out phase, so try it out and give us feedback on how you think it can be improved.  There is a section for the Music Collection:  http://cms.bsu.edu/Academics/Libraries/CollectionsAndDept/Music.aspx  Feel free to e-mail me personally about that section!

Books and printed music are still on the Fourth Floor, in the opposite corner from the Music Collection.  We hope that they will be coming downstairs soon.

--Amy

Carpeting Project Update

The new carpet has now been laid throughout the Lower Level West, but things still aren't quite back to normal.  CDs are available from the Music Collection counter, but everything else is still waiting for crews to bring them back.  Scores and books remain on the 4th Floor East for now.

As always, let us know if there's any way we can be of assistance:  765-285-8188

Carpeting Project Update

Hello everyone

The long-awaited recarpeting of the Lower Level has begun, and things look very different this week!  Computers and book shelves are gone, as are the listening carrels.  Music Collection books and scores are still on the Fourth Floor East, and Music Collection CDs will continue to be available.  There may be a day or two when you may have to ask for CDs at a different service point, but don't let that stop you. Signage in the Lower Level Lobby will direct you to the appropriate place.

My temporary office is BL 302, a study room near the West elevators. There's no phone but you can still use the MC phone numbers to reach the MC: 785-8188 (MC counter) or 785-5065 (my phone). Jason Smith, Kevin Blue, and I will continue to have computer access throughout the process, so e-mail is probably the best way to reach us: jsmith@bsu.edu, kjblue@bsu.edu, aledmonds@bsu.edu.

For immediate assistance you can call the main Reference Desk: 785-1101 any time that Bracken Library is open.

For those of you who are enjoying a well-deserved rest and can't come in to enjoy the wide open spaces, I've taken some pictures:

Music for 4th of July

America's national anniversary is often celebrated with music for the occasion. Wind bands or orchestras play outdoor concerts, and singers will cross their usual genre distinctions to celebrate American values. Some of the music for this holiday comes from the classical repertoire: Tchaikovsky's "1812" Overture being the most famous example. American compoosers whose music is often featured include Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, and Leonard Bernstein.

Some CDs to help you celebrate: Battle Cry of Freedom, performed by the Robert Shaw Chorale America, the Dream Goes On, conducted by John Williams The Spirit of Freedom and other patriotic songs, sung by the Washington Men's Camerata. A Lincoln Portrait, by Aaron Copland Leonard Slatkin Conducts American Portraits, with narration by General Schwarzkopf God Bless America, songs by Irving Berlin and others, sung by Leontyne Price

Gay & Lesbian Musicians

Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland

Classical composers:

Samuel Barber Richard Rodney Bennett Benjamin Britten Aaron Copland John Corigliano Peter Maxwell Davies David Del Tredici Charles Griffes Lou Harrison Hans Werner Henze Jennifer Higdon Gian Carlo Menotti Daniel Pinkham Francis Poulenc Ned Rorem Henri Sauguet Peter Illych Tchaikovsky Virgil Thomson Michael Tippett Claude Vivier

Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears

Classical performers:

• Marin Alsop, conductor
• Wanda Landowska, harpischordist
• Virgil Fox, organist
• Peter Pears, vocalist
• Sviatoslav Richter, pianist
• Jean-Yves Thibaudet, pianist
• Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
• Earl Wild, pianist

Add caption

Popular musicians:

• Tracy Chapman
• K.D. Lang
• Indigo Girls
• Marc Blitzstein (Broadway composer)
• Jerry Herman (Broadway composer)
• Elton John
• George Michael
• Billy Strayhorn
• Rufus Wainwright

Juneteenth

Juneteenth is a celebration of the ending of slavery in the United States.  Although the Emancipation Proclamation officially ended slavery on January 1, 1863, word didn't reach many slaves in the South until after the end of the Civil War in 1865.   Slaves of Galveston, Texas learned of the proclamation on June 19, 1865, and this became the date for anniversary celebrations thereafter.  At first, it was commemorated only in Texas, but the date has achieved significance in more and more places, and today is an official or unofficial holiday in many U.S. states.  Muncie first celebrated Juneteenth in 2003.

While slavery defined the black experience in America before 1865, the fight for justice and civil rights continues to this day.  Music gave slaves and civil rights workers a soundtrack to inspire and to soothe.  You can mark Juneteenth by listening to spirituals, which expressed the feelings of slaves and in some cases sent coded messages along the Underground Railroad. 

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.

In the Twentieth Century, many notable musicians worked for justice and equality, though it didn't always come through in their music.  They used their fame to draw attention to important causes and to highlight situations that white Americans may not have known about.  The civil rights movement's two famous songs are "We Shall Overcome," and "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," by James Weldon Johnson & J. Rosamund Johnson. It is considered by many to be the "Black National Anthem."

For CardCat listings of recordings by of some of these musicians, follow the links below:

Paul Robeson Marian Anderson William Grant Still (composer) Harry Belafonte Miles Davis Odetta Curtis Mayfield Nina Simone Bernice Johnson Reagon

Marion Anderson

Flag Day: June 14

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.  

The official march of the United States is also about the flag:  The Stars and Stripes composed in 1896 by Marine Band conductor and leader, John Philip Sousa (right).  It was designated the official march in 1987.

4th Floor Update

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.

To get to the temporary location:

• Where you used to go down, go up!
• Where you used to turn left, turn right!
• Where you used to turn right, turn left!

Then you should start to see some signs!

...and remember shhhhhhhh The 4th Floor is a Quiet Zone.   No singing!!!

Update: The Scores are now all on the 4th Floor!

All the scores (a.k.a. sheet music) have now been moved to the Fourth Floor. These are identified by call numbers beginning with the letter "M," followed by a number (vs. ML, which are books). The regular-sized scores are at the beginning, followed by the Oversized items and then the miniature scores. CardCat indicates whether a score is Oversized or Miniature in the detailed view under "material:"

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