As Taboos Ease, Saudi Girl Group Dares to Rock

By ROBERT F. WORTH

Published: November 24, 2008 NYTimes

Saudi Arabia’s first all-girl rock band has an underground hit as the country’s harsh code of morals slowly thaws. more

Beethoven Bibliography Database

The Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies is the only institution in North America devoted solely to the life, works, and accomplishments of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). Established in 1983, the Center officially opened at San Jose State University in September 1985 with a gala co-sponsored by the San Jose Symphony. The Center now has the largest collection of Beethoven materials outside of Europe. In addition to functioning as a research library, the Center is involved in a variety of educational programs and projects and sponsors concerts, lectures, tours, and other programs.

Check out the Beethoven Bibliography Database!

Miriam Makeba, 76, Singer and Activist, Dies

By ALAN COWELL

Published: November 11, 2008 NYTimes

Ms. Makeba was a South African singer whose voice stirred hopes of freedom in her own country even though her music was formally banned by the apartheid authorities she struggled against. read more

Bringing a Trove of Medieval Manuscripts Online for the Ages

By JOHN TAGLIABUE

Published: October 20, 2008
NYTimes

ST. GALL EN, Switzerland — One of the oldest and most valuable collections of handwritten medieval books in the world, housed in the magnificent baroque halls of the library in this town’s abbey, is going online with the help of a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The Stiftsbibliothek, or abbey library, in the Swiss town of St. Gallen. Its collection of medieval manuscripts is being digitized.

The project is making the library in St. Gallen, Switzerland, more popular; annual visits are up 30 percent from a decade ago.

For centuries scholars from around the world have flocked to the Stiftsbibliothek — literally, the abbey library — in this quaint town nestled in the rolling hills of eastern Switzerland, to pore over its vast collection of manuscripts, many written and illustrated before the year 1000. more

The Annapolis Brass Quintet Collection

The Annapolis Brass Quintet, the first independent, full-time performing brass chamber ensemble in the United States, has donated its entire collection of published music scores and parts, music manuscripts, and related correspondence—more than 1,000 individual items—to the Conservatory. Check out a sampler of items from the collection on display in the Conservatory Library.

Ruedi Rymann, Swiss Yodeling Star, Dies at 75

By BRUCE WEBER

Published: October 7, 2008 NYTimes

Mr. Rymann was a Swiss farmer and cheesemaker renowned in his home country as a yodeler and the man who recorded what came to be known as “Switzerland’s greatest hit.” more

Listen to Mr. Rymann's music

Twentieth-Century Countertenor Repertoire: A Guide

This significant reference of over 600 entries compiles and catalogues information about repertoire composed specifically for the countertenor from 1950 to 2000. Representing more than 350 composers, it provides a resource for countertenors and voice teachers to identify and become more familiar with contemporary works for countertenor.

Twentieth-century countertenor repertoire : a guide by Steven L. Rickards. Lanham, Md. : Scarecrow Press, 2008. Con Ref ML128.V7 R45 2008