Nicolas Astrinidis (1921-2010) is a free online resource that documents the life and works of the Greek composer, pianist, and conductor.
Edited by Ilias Chrissochoidis and mainly in English, the site presents a biography of Astrinidīs along with audiovisual documents, lists of works and performances, and a discussion of his life and works in Greek. Below, a work influenced by Greek traditional music.
Filed under 20th- and 21st-century music, Resources
Folk lexicon: Lexicon of the modern folk fan was published by Caffè Lena in 2013.
This free online resource provides information on the folk music scene as it has evolved (mainly in North America) since the 1950s. Categories include awards, folk festivals, instruments, musical styles, publications, radio shows, and record companies, along with discussions of terminology and corny nicknames.
Above, the Weavers were influential founders of the contemporary scene. Below, the group’s 1980 reunion at Carnegie Hall.
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Filed under Resources, World music
Jane Keefer’s Folk music index is a database of U.S. old-time recordings that can be searched by title, recording, keyword, or publisher.
Cross references to alternate titles, related pieces, and similar melodies constitute around 18% of the nearly 39,000 titles in the title index. The recordings indexed generally have a major emphasis on tradition-based material from both commercial and non-commercial performers, including a considerable amount of old-time fiddle and banjo tunes.
Although most of the recordings included are LPs, many have been reissued as cassettes and CDs.
Below, Gid Tanner & the Skillet Lickers play Soldier’s joy in 1929—with a little help from some friends.
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Filed under North America, Resources
Musicforcats.com presents music by David Teie that is based on feline vocal communication and environmental sounds that pique the interest of cats, written in a musical language that is uniquely designed to appeal to the domestic cat.
The pieces are composed in three different styles; each style is designed to convey and evoke a particular mood.
Sample recordings:
John Cage unbound: A living archive is an online multimedia project about the American composer and avant-garde music pioneer.
Hosted by the New York Public Library, the project invites musicians and others to submit videos of their own interpretations of Cage’s work for addition to the online archive. Visitors to the site can view submitted videos as well as a portion of the library’s collection of Cage’s original notes and manuscripts.
Today is Cage’s 100th birthday! Below, his classic 1960 appearance on I’ve got a secret.
BONUS: Cage’s own recipe for dogsup.
Related article: Source: Music of the avant-garde
Filed under 20th- and 21st-century music, Resources
Muziekschatten: Online Bladmuziekcollectie Muziekbibliotheek van de Omroep is a free interactive website featuring the treasures of the Muziekbibliotheek van de Omroep in Hilversum.
The collection contains nearly 6000 scores of classical, choral, and light and popular music. Users can download and print PDF files, and many of the entries are enhanced with sound recordings.
Filed under Resources
Library of hope and dreams: A comprehensive annotated bibliography of scholarship about Bruce Springsteen is a free online annotated bibliography of scholarship published in English about The Boss.
A continuously updated resource, as of 7 June 2012 the bibliography had 250 entries including books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, and web publications. All items are described in full bibliographic detail, abstracted, and indexed by subject keywords and by song and album when appropriate.
Library of Hope and Dreams was created by Denise D. Green at Staley Library, Milikin University.
BONUS: Read about this resource in Hungarian here.
Filed under Popular music, Resources
Sponsored by the Performing Arts Medicine Association, Bibliography of performing arts medicine is a free online resource that focuses on the health problems of instrumental and vocal musicians, dancers, and actors.
The bibliography provides citations from the medical, musical, and popular literature, with emphasis on clinical problems and relevant basic science in performing arts medicine. It can be searched by author, title, publication, or keyword, and searches can be limited to music, acting, or dance.
Related article: Music and medicine
Theaterencyclopedie, a free online resource published in 2012 by the Theater Instituut Nederland, includes a complete database of all theatrical performances in the Netherlands since 1900, along with hundreds of biographies of singers, actors, and directors.
Audio and video clips are also included. Musical productions—opera, cabaret, and musical theater—are well represented.
Filed under Dramatic arts, Opera, Resources
Produced by the Appalachian College Association, the Digital Library of Appalachia provides online access to archival and historical materials related to the culture of the southern and central Appalachian region. The database’s contents are drawn from special collections of Appalachian College Association member libraries.
Above, the Bog Trotters Band in Galax, Virginia, in 1937. Below, the legendary Roscoe Holcomb at home in Kentucky.
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Filed under North America, Resources, World music
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