I shouldn't have to tell you the music CD is dead, as is every audio format that came before it, with the possible exception of vinyl, the fax machine of the music world. Music is digital, end of story. Digital music differs from any of its progenitors in its lack of physicality; there is no disc that you can put on your shelves, no album liner notes that you can flip through unless of course you create all of that yourself, but doesn't that defeat the point? If you have a digital music collection of over 6000 tracks, you're not going to take the time, spend the money, or use the space to create physical CDs for each of those albums. Still, we need to be able to keep track of our music and that's sometimes easier said than done.
In 1939, talented singer Marian Anderson was denied the spotlight at the D.A.R.'s Constitution Hall on account of her race. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt quickly saw to it that she had another venue--the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. On Easter Sunday, a crowd of 75,000 listened to her in person, and her music was carried on the radio and heard by many more. After the concert, Marian Anderson went on to break more racial barriers in the entertainment industry and became a voice of the Civil Rights Movement.
A daughter of union organizers, Mary grew up in Greenwich Village and while only a teenager sang backup for the legendary Pete Seeger. Today, her clear, warm vocals on songs written by Seeger and Bob Dylan remind us of the softer aspects of 1960s social struggle. "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" and "Blowin' in the Wind" are still favorites for youth groups.
Forty years ago, crowds of young people converged on the quiet farming town of Bethel, New York, for a legendary concert. For many, it was the pivotal cultural event of their lives. The Woodstock Generation may be approaching retirement age, but the memories of those wild summer days rock on in books, music, and video.
Andrea Davis Pinkney's (September 25, 1963 -- ) books are full of the rhythms of the African-American community. Stroll down memory lane with Scat Cat Monroe as he follows the rise of Ella Fitzgerald from the small-town girl who liked to sing and dance on street corners to wowing the crowd at the Apollo Theatre when she was only seventeen, dressed in work boots and hand-me-downs.
National Music Week is May 3-10, and the theme is "Music: Poetry of the Heart."
Piano students of teachers who are members of the National Music Society will perform in the Headquarters Library lobby, Monday, May 4 - Thursday, May 7, 6-8pm.
It may feel like winter has come back for one last chilly embrace, but soon it'll be time for flip flops, cookouts, and ... Music on the Steps! The CRRL's popular summer concert series kicks off on Monday, June 1, with The Sensations playing live on the library steps. See the June and July lineup now!
We kicked off our Music on Mondays in March series this week with Quintessential Brass on March 9. Read about it in the Free Lance-Star. Join us for 3 more great performances:
March 16 - Driftwood Fire - Appalachian Bluegrass & Jazz
March 23 - Sean P. Harris - Classic American Folk & Popular Music
March 30 - Fredericksburg Saxophone Quartet - Classical to Jazz
