Searching the Trade Literature Collection for music related material will likely result in many records. This being the Smithsonian Year of Music, I decided to browse those trade catalogs. One in particular caught my attention. Why? Because of its shape.
Tag: Music
Join us for a performance of music hidden in plain sight. Musical manuscripts, re-purposed centuries ago as book bindings, will transport us back in time during this evening event devoted more »
This post was written by Mara Wessel, a 2018 intern in our Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex (SLRA). Throughout my six-month internship at the Smithsonian Libraries Research Annex (SLRA), I worked more »
Last year, the Dibner Library for the History of Science and Technology received four unique donations by siblings James L. Cerruti and Vera V. Magruder (nee Cerruti): James Bishop’s musical Gamut of 1766, Uri Bishop’s Military Music from the War of 1812, and Jonathan Edwards’ Treatise on Religious Affections (New York: American Tract Society) and Sermons on Various Important Subjects (Edinburgh/Boston: Gray, 1785). These items provide fascinating glimpses into early American history as well as their own family tale.
The National Museum of American History Library recently acquired a four volume set entitled Antonius Stradivarius edited by Jost Thone & Jan Rohrmann with text by Alessandra Barabaschi, et al. A few of the instruments depicted in this work can be found on display at the museum. This book provides background on these Stradivarius instruments.
Located in the Trade Literature Collection at the National Museum of American History Library are several catalogs by Lyon & Healy, a musical instrument manufacturing company. Today Lyon & Healy is known primarily for their harps, but the company’s beginnings included sheet music, uniforms, and a variety of musical instruments.