Want to listen to music but not sure what to put on? Interested in hearing a radio broadcast from the other side of the globe? Originally featured in our 1-20-2017 issue, Radio Garden remains one of our all-time favorite resources. Radio Garden is an extraordinary website that allows visitors to listen to over 8,000 live radio stations from around the world. Created by Jonathan Puckey with...

Readers interested in discovering new music or tracing the evolution of musical trends across time may enjoy Radiooooo, a streaming platform that allows listeners to travel across virtual space and time to listen to a "radio station" in a country and decade of their choosing. The five os are for the five continental landmasses included in the project: Africa, Eurasia, the Americas, Australia,...

Ragtime is a uniquely American musical idiom and it is generally distinguished by its three or four contrasting sections or strains, each one being 16 or 32 measures in length. Played by itinerant pianists who made their way across the South and Midwest, the music first began to be formally published in the mid-1890s, and it soon made its way to Europe and other parts of the world. The Library of...

Bringing listeners a "one hour soundtrack to the Indigenous Next Wave: a new generation of Indigenous artists reclaiming their culture through music and song," RECLAIMED is well worth the listen. The weekly program is available on CBC Music, and Canadian readers can tune in live via CBC On Demand. Readers outside of Canada should click the "Listen online" link for a select collection of episodes...

Since Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, innovators have continued to develop new technologies for recording and playing sound. In this Europeana exhibition, visitors can learn more about "machines that illustrate a wide range of techniques and technologies" for doing so. This diverse collection includes contributions from nine different institutions across Europe, including the...

If you love jazz, you'll love the Riverwalk Jazz radio program's website. With two round-the-clock streams of music, the site features over 4,000 song performances, 350 radio programs, dozens of guest profiles, and the tune stylings of the Jim Cullum Jazz Band. The shows cover topics that include the Harlem Renaissance, New Orleans, the Birth of Swing, and the Blues Queens. Visitors can click on...

Since the 1950s, rock and roll has exerted a major influence on American – and, more recently, global – culture. Impacting everything from fashion to politics, the history of the contemporary U.S. cannot be easily separated from the history of its popular music. This modest but interesting site traces the history of rock music by decade, from its roots in the African American Rhythm and Blues to...

A companion resource to Ken Burns's documentary Country Music, Roots & Branches of Country Music invites readers to explore the diverse origins, influences, and offshoots of the genre. Gospel tent revivals, British ballads, travelling minstrel shows, and banjo traditions dating back to ancient Egypt are all among the "roots" of American country music, and it has since spread its "branches" from...

While November and Native American Heritage Month are coming to a close, Indigenous culture should be recognized year-round. This post about Native American musicians focuses on the evolution of Indigenous music, from the "forerunners" of rock and roll (for example, Jimi Hendrix and Robbie Robertson) to the modern music scene (including hip-hop artist Prolific The Rapper and "folkloric" singer...

Samuel Barber is perhaps best known for his "Adagio for Strings", and he demonstrated many talents in writing for string ensembles, choral groups, and piano. Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania in 1910 and he studied at the Curtis Institute. During his long career, he was the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes and he had a long-standing relationship with the Library of Congress. Barber's...