Collection Items

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    Book/Printed Material
    The gentleman & lady's companion : containing the newest coti...
    Gentleman and lady's companion     The etiquette section of this manual anticipates many nineteenth-century concerns regarding decorum and bodily control, and some of the ill manners described include "swinging the arms, and all other awkward gestures" and "leaning on the shoulder, or chair of another person." The manual provides nine figures for the cotillon, a precursor to the quadrille consisting of a series of figures known as changes that...
    • Contributor: American Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1798
  • Book/Printed Material
    Familiar dialogues on dancing, between a minister and a dance... Substantiated by quotations from other writers including Pascal, the Prince of Conti, Chief Justice Hale, and Archbishop Tillotson, Phillips declares dance to be a vain and idle amusement. While he acknowledges that many people assume the study of dance teaches good carriage and a "graceful and easy way of moving our limbs," he notes that Quakers, "who hold dancing in abomination," manage to display...
    • Contributor: Phillips, John - Printed by T. Kirk - American Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1798-01-01
  • Book/Printed Material
    The scholars companion : containing a choice collection of co... Although the title of this manual would indicate a collection of cotillons (figure dances usually performed by four couples), the dances are, in fact, English country dances, performed by a column of men facing a column of women. The collection includes directions for fifty English country dances.
    • Contributor: Fraisier, M. J. C. - American Imprint Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1796
  • Book/Printed Material
    The Anacreontick Song It is this edition from which most claims of Smith's authorship of the tune come. While it is accepted that he did the arrangement for the tune, other initial sources for the melody have been given as an old hunting song or traditional bar song. Published in "A fifth book of canzonets, catches, canons & glees, sprightly and plaintive, with a part for the...
    • Contributor: Printed for the Author - [Tomlinson, Ralph] - Smith, John Stafford
    • Date: 1799
  • Book/Printed Material
    Adams and liberty "Adams and liberty" is written to the tune of the Anacreontic song, and this is believed to be the first American book publication of the music of that song. Published in "The American musical miscellany," pages 211-218. Author was christened Thomas Paine, and changed his name after the piece was published.
    • Contributor: [Paine Jr., Robert Treat] - [Smith, John Stafford?] - A. Wright, for D. Wright and Company
    • Date: 1798
  • Book/Printed Material
    Boston patriotic song [Adams and liberty] Lyrics only -- tune called for is "To Anacreon in Heaven." Printed in "A collection of songs" (Charles Dibdin, compiler?), pages 326-328.
    • Contributor: [Paine Jr., Robert Treat] - J. Bioren for H. & P. Rice
    • Date: 1799
  • Notated Music
    The presidents march: a new federal song sheet music | 2 p. | Also contains a version of Yankee Doodle. Sheet Music (Form).
    • Contributor: G. Willig
    • Date: 1798
  • Notated Music
    The continental harmony : containing, a number of anthems, fu... Includes index. LC copy 1 imperfect: pages between the t.p. verso and p. vii wanting. Evans, 26673 RISM (Répertoire international des sources musicales), A/I, B 2655 RISM (Répertoire international des sources musicales, 990005427 https://opac.rism.info/search?id=990005427&View=rism LAC knj 2019-08-27 no edits (2 cards)
    • Contributor: Billings, William - John Davis Batchelder Collection (Library of Congress)
    • Date: 1794
  • Notated Music
    15e.[-30e.] recueil des contre-danses et walzes
    Title on t.p. of recueil 28: 28e. recueil des contre-danses et waltzes | Recueil des contre-danses et walzes     By the end of the eighteenth century, publishers were regularly offering collections of music appropriate for dancing contredanses, quadrilles, and waltzes. This large collection contains music for waltzes and sets of contredanses, scored for two treble instruments.
    • Contributor: Clarchies, Louis Julien
    • Date: 179?
  • Collection
    The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America See and Hear American History Through Song "Know the songs of a country and you will know its history for the true feeling of a people speaks through what they sing."
    • Date: 1581

    Collection Items: View 52,135 Items

  • Article
    Articles About Songs Original essays and articles are available on this site to help provide historical context and a deeper view for those who wish to learn more about particular topics. The Library's curators have written articles on historical topics and song, musical styles, individual songs, and songs of various ethnic groups in America.
    • Date: 1759
  • Article
    Biographies Short biographies are available for some of the many composers, lyricists, performers, conductors, field collectors, and folklorists who have played a part in the history of American songs.
    • Date: 1759
  • Article
    Curator Talks The curators of the collections at the Library of Congress give more information about the history of song in the United States in these brief "Curator Talk" videos with the help of illustrations and audio clips.
    • Date: 1759
  • Article
    Historical Topics The history of America is reflected through its songs. Read more about how immigration and migration; work and industry; social change; war and conflict; politics and political campaigns; and sports and leisure in the United States have been portrayed in song. Listen to examples for all.
    • Date: 1581
  • Article
    Illustrated Sound Recordings Performances of song and concerts from the Library of Congress are available on this site as well as interviews with performers and composers.
    • Date: 1759
  • Article
    Interactive Maps See the connection between America's geography and song through interactive maps that offer songs from the states and about the states.
    • Date: 1581
  • Article
    Popular Songs of the Day "Popular songs" can be broadly defined as songs that are at least intended to reach a broad audience via some form of commercial distribution, such as broadsides, sheet music, song collections, touring musicians or musical production and from the 1890s on, commercial recordings. Being made to travel, popular music is most likely to represent a broad range of influences, including ones from folk, church...
    • Date: 1581
  • Article
    Timeline Explore the relationship between cultural and historical events to American song on this timeline.
    • Date: 1759
  • Article
    1759 to 1799 Cultural and historical events from 1759 to 1799 related to American song.
    • Date: 1759