Performing Arts at the Library of Congress

Heather Darnell recently sat down with Trace Adkins to talk about his career and role in celebrating 25 years of the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.

https://youtu.be/MUDaT7CFyEY?is=lGk0j2cf10RsRCzq

The Music Division mourns the loss of Abdullah Ibrahim (1934-2026), a leading artist of South Africa and a titan in the global jazz community. Ibrahim visited the Library in 2016 for a series of conversations and a performance with his Mukashi Trio, made possible by the Reva & David Logan Foundation.

Abdullah Ibrahim & Dan Morgenstern: https://www.loc.gov/item/2021690138/?loclr=fbmus
Abdullah Ibrahim & Larry Appelbaum https://www.loc.gov/item/2021690130/?loclr=fbmus
Abdullah Ibrahim Mukashi Trio Concert https://www.loc.gov/item/2021690136/?loclr=fbmus

Teaser Tuesday: What other sound announcing summer's arrival can rival the distinctive call and response of frogs? Whimsical illustrations on the cover of "The Famous Five and Twenty Frogs," from the Edison Sheet Music Collection, conjure a revelry fitting to the season’s nighttime chorus. Whether the 1890s sheet music cover engraver, Atwater & Self, Co., was inspired by summer’s nocturnal creatures, we cannot be certain, but we can imagine this piano piece, and others like it, being enjoyed by late 19th century parlor musicians and their audiences.
https://lccn.loc.gov/2002604960?loclr=fbmus

Image: Cover of sheet music for "The Famous Five and Twenty Frogs." Chicago: S. Brainard's Sons Co., circa 1892, Box: 129. Edison Sheet Music Collection, ML31.E3. Music Division.

We're grateful to our friends "The President's Own" United States Marine Band for recording selections from our recently acquired shipboard songs manuscript. Perhaps the only music manuscript we hold that's been to the Antarctic?

Our team enjoyed sharing the work of the Library in Reykjavik this week!

Who's ready for some soccer? Today marks the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Learn about some connections in the Library's sheet music collections.

https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2026/06/music-meets-world-cup-fever/?loclr=fbmus

Image: Sheet music of the national anthems of the three host nations of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Music Division, Library of Congress.

Bravo to Joshua Henry for winning the Tony Award for leading actor in a musical. He performed at the Library in 2014 with Jeanine Tesori as part of our Broadway Composers Concert. Tune in at 58:30 for his entrance.

https://www.loc.gov/item/2021689552/?loclr=fbmus

Image: Screenshot of Joshua Henry performing with Jeanine Tesori, October 17, 2014.

Teaser Tuesday: This excerpt is one of nine songs in a volume documenting a special moment in American history - Charles Wilkes's United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842), during which the existence of the Antarctic land mass was definitively confirmed. This song, "The Old Peacock" (1840), was named for the U.S.S. Peacock, the ship from which the Antarctic continent was first sighted on January 16, 1840. Lyricist James Croxall Palmer (the expedition's surgeon) and composer James Dwight Dana (a geologist, and one of nine scientists on the expedition) provide an excellent example of traditional sea shanties, which were traditionally sung on board ships to coordinate manual labor. This volume, acquired by the Music Division in 2025, is the earliest known example of Antarctic music and poetry. https://lccn.loc.gov/2025386437?loclr=fbmus

Image: Excerpt from "The Old Peacock" (1840), written during Navy Lt. Charles Wilkes's United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842). Music Division, Library of Congress.

As we commemorate America’s 250th birthday, the Music Division is happy to announce the acquisition of the U.S. Exploring Expedition composer's song book, 1840-1842, a volume extraordinary for both its contents and the circumstances of its creation. This book contains nine compositions written by sailors on the U.S. Exploring Expedition, a four-year-long expedition led by Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, U. S. Navy, that circumnavigated the globe and confirmed the existence of the Antarctic land mass. Learn more: https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2026/06/shipboard-songs-music-of-the-united-states-exploring-expedition/?loclr=fbmus

Image: Title page for the "Antarctic Mariner's Song," a then-unpublished poem by poet and lyricist James Croxall Palmer, as seen in the composer’s songbook. ML96 .D26 no. 1, Music Division, Library of Congress.

"Isn't it nice to know a lot?" So says Stephen Sondheim! We've just published a comprehensive guide to Sondheim resources at the Library, drawing across our special and general collections, including the Stephen Sondheim Papers. Check it out: https://blogs.loc.gov/music/2026/06/isnt-it-nice-to-know-a-lot-new-sondheim-research-guide-available/?loclr=fbmus