Search WorldCat On Your Phone!

Ever been out shopping and found a book you want to read or a great recording you’d like to hear? Or maybe you hear a title mentioned on TV that you’d like to check out. Now you can pull out your cell phone and see if your library owns the title using WorldCat mobile! WorldCat mobile can be found at www.worldcat.org/m/. Simply enter your zip code, search for the title your interested in and WorldCat mobile will give you a list of the nearest libraries holding your book, score, recording, DVD and more. WorldCat also works with mapping software on your cell phone to direct you to the nearest library. For more information, see the WorldCat mobile website.


Photo by incurable_hippie.

George Perle, a Composer and Theorist, Dies at 93

"George Perle, a composer, author, theorist and teacher who won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1986 and was widely considered the poetic voice of atonal composition, died on Friday at his home in Manhattan. He was 93."

For the full article, please see the New York Times.

Hear Perle's music on NPR.

Nazi Ban, Wagner Attack Buried Mendelssohn Works for Decades

"A rival’s envy and the Nazis combined to turn Felix Mendelssohn from a hot 19th-century composer to a pariah and left hundreds of his scores unpublished. Real rescue operations began only a dozen years ago."

For the full article, connect to Bloomberg.com.

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Working on an interesting research project? Apply to take part in the Twelfth Annual UW Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, May 15th from noon to 5PM.

The Symposium offers a wonderful forum to gain experience presenting work and to engage in scholarly discussion with peers and faculty. Last year, over 650 undergraduates presented at this event and we expect this year's celebration of undergraduate scholarship and faculty mentoring to be bigger than ever.

Detailed information and an electronic application form may be found on the Undergraduate Research Program website at http://exp.washington.edu/urp/symp.

Students must apply to present their work; applications are due Friday, February 20th, 2009. All disciplines, including performing arts, are welcome.

Inauguration Music

"Air and Simple Gifts" by John Williams

Performed by Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gabriele Montero and Anthony McGill.

Cold Case: The Sound of Carbon for Yo-Yo Ma?

"When the cellist Yo-Yo Ma takes to the inaugural stage on Tuesday, the instrument he will have may take music enthusiasts by surprise. Black, with a single-piece body, neck and peg box, and with no scroll at the top, the cello is a high-tech carbon-fiber instrument designed to withstand the cold."

For the full article, see the New York Times.

5 Ways the Cellphone Will Change How You Listen to Music

"The portable music revolution has only been with us for a few years, but we may already be on the cusp of the another paradigm shift: With smartphones becoming commoditized -- and with so many excellent music apps being designed for them -- it's becoming viable to leave your MP3 player at home and tune into the cloud."

For the full article, please see Wired

Photo by samantha celera.

Library Research Award for Undergraduates

The University Libraries awards annual prizes for outstanding undergraduate library research in any discipline. As many as ten top prizes may awarded in two categories: 1. freshmen, sophomores, and juniors ($750 each), and 2. senior ($1,000 each). Student winners, faculty sponsors, and guests will be honored at a reception on June 9, 2009.

Eligibility: To be eligible to win, individuals or teams must:

• be University of Washington undergraduates at any class level and in any discipline.
• have completed a research project for credit at the University of Washington in Spring Quarter 2008 through Spring Quarter 2009.
• agree to display the research project in the library and to submit it to the UW digital repository

Application Procedure: Applications must include the following:

• final version of the research project. Projects in all media are encouraged.
• bibliography or other appropriate listing of sources consulted.
• 150 word abstract of the project.
• 750-1,000 word reflective essay describing research strategies and use of library resources.
• letter of support from the supervising faculty member.

Selection Criteria: Panels of librarians and faculty members review all applications. Submissions are evaluated on how well they demonstrate:

• Unusual depth or breadth in the use of library resources and collections, including but not limited to, printed resources, databases, primary resources, and materials in all media.
• Exceptional ability to locate, select, evaluate, and synthesize library resources and to use them in the creation of a project in any media that shows originality and/or has the potential to lead to original research in the future.
• Evidence of significant personal learning in the methods of research and inquiry.

The application deadline is 5pm, May 18, 2009. For applications and information, consult www.lib.washington.edu/researchaward; or email libaward@u.washington.edu.

How Jazz Helped Hasten the Civil-Rights Movement

"Martin Luther King's Birthday, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Rockefeller Foundation, also focusing on the next day's presidential inauguration, will present at Kennedy Center 'A Celebration of America.' Headlining the cast are Sandra Day O'Connor and Wynton Marsalis. As Jazz at Lincoln Center declares, Dr. King called jazz 'America's triumphant music,' and the presence of Mr. Marsalis is to 'illustrate that American democracy and America's music share the same tenets and embody the same potential for change, hope and renewal.'"

For the full article, please see the Wall Street Journal.

Photo by photolupi.

Philharmonic Plans Trip to Vietnam

"On the heels of its attention-grabbing trip to North Korea last February, the New York Philharmonic is planning another high-profile visit for next season: to Vietnam. The stop, part of an Asian tour in October, will be a splashy opening to Alan Gilbert’s tenure as the orchestra’s new music director."

For the full article please see the New York Times.

Singing a New Tune

"Professional musicians are not typically thought of as entrepreneurs. Given the difficulty of a career in the fine arts, however, most of them need to pick up the skills of one to survive and flourish.

In addition to performing, most musicians dabble in teaching, administration and business. Instead of leaving their graduates to cobble these skills together into a functional career, some music schools are now embedding entrepreneurship in their traditional curriculums in an effort to make their students more business savvy."

See Inside Higher Ed to read the full article.

Conspiracy of Silence: Could the release of secret documents shatter Felix Mendelssohn's reputation?

"Did Felix Mendelssohn's passion for the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind lead to his early death? If reports of a document buried in the bowels of the Royal Academy of Music are to be believed, a potentially devastating new light is waiting to be shed on the composer's life, his death and his music, on the eve of his bicentenary, which is sparking worldwide celebrations in 2009."

For the full article, follow the link to The Independent.

New Library Books, Scores and Recordings

The latest of materials added to the Music Library & Listening Center's collection has been posted. You may access the new items list at http://www/Music/Acquisitions/NewAcqDec08.html. You may also browse lists from the past six month on the "About the Music Library" section of our homepage.

Secret of the White Rose

"Carl Orff's famous Carmina Burana has an ugly history: it was a Nazi favourite. But a new film reveals that the composer's own story was even uglier."

To read the rest of Martin Kettle's article, please see The Guardian.


Photo by Amodiovalerio Verde

For many pianists, being left-handed is just right

"Considering that about 10 percent of the general population is left-handed, the number of celebrated southpaw classical pianists is wildly out of proportion... If you know your famous pianists, the list is a who’s who, from 20th-century legends Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein and Glenn Gould to today’s keyboard masters Daniel Barenboim, Radu Lupu, Leif Ove Andsnes, Steven Blier, Richard Goode, Helene Grimaud … and many more."

See The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to read the full article.


Photo by Zen.

Dr. Eric Offenbacher Dies

Dr. Eric Offenbacher passed away on Monday, January 5, 2009 in Seattle. Offenbacher is best known for his generous donation of the Offenbacher-Mozart Collection of 78 and LP recordings to the University of Washington's Music Library. For more information on Offenbacher's life, please see the Seattle Times. A copy of Offenbacher's obituary may also be found in the Seattle Times.

Study in Comfort at the Music Library

In response to the survey results from last Spring, the Music Library has established a group study area for our students. The new, comfy chairs are located in the downstairs reading area (Room 15). Please come by and check out the soft chairs and relaxed setting!