The Library of Congress has created this delightful site that brings together hundreds of items that tell of the musical culture of the American Civil War. First-time visitors will want to start by perusing the Civil War Sheet Music section. Here they will find 2,500 pieces culled from the Library's collection, including songs about various generals, battles, and a longing for the tranquility of...

Many people may be familiar with patriotic ditties like "America the Beautiful", "Of Thee I Sing", and "Over There", but how many of them know the stories behind each of these works? For those who don't (and for those who do), this site will be quite a treat. Created by the Library of Congress, the site tells the stories of these songs through sheet music, historic images, and other pieces of...

With a dramatic geological flourish, the cover of the music for the 1890 song, "Alice's reverie" features an exploding volcano. Interestingly enough, the volcano is not spewing forth lava or ash, but rather what appears to be sheet music, direct to the waiting hands of delighted onlookers. This sheet music for this tune, along with 9000 others, can be found at this website, which was created by...