Tag Archives: Top News

Say It With Music! The Charm and Genius of Irving Berlin

Posted on by
2
Boyer Noontime Concert Series at Paley Library

JohnsonJohn Johnson, pianist, singer, scholar, and entertainer extraordinaire performs songs of Irving Berlin in the continuation of his enormously popular Great American Songwriters Series.
Thursday,
December 4th
12 – 1 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall
Light Refreshments Served.
Bring your lunch.
Bring your friends.
Boyer recital credit given.
Relax. Refresh.Renew.
Enjoy!
Irving BerlinIrving Berlin, beloved composer of a huge repertoire of American classics such as Play a Simple Melody, I Love a Piano, Cheek to Cheek, Top Hat, White Christmas, and more!

Sheet music covers of Irving Berlin

“Music is so important. It changes thinking, it influences everybody, whether they know it or not.” –Irving Berlin, 1920, in an interview for American Magazine.

Irving Berlin, born Israel Isidore Baline in Tyumen (Siberia), Russia, 1888, died September 22, 1989, New York City.  When he was four years old, his family fled Russia to escape a pogrom and traveled to the United States where they lived in New York City. There, Berlin attended public school until the age of 13 when his father died. The young Berlin then went to work to help support the family, playing and plugging songs on Broadway and performing vaudeville. He published his first song ‘Marie from Sunny Italy’ in 1907.  In 1911 Berlin published his first big hit ‘Alexander’s Ragtime Band.’ His career of over 40 years spanned decades of American popular culture, and his songs reflect changes in that culture. As a result, Berlin’s musical style encompasses a range of styles from vaudeville to Tin Pan Alley, ragtime, sentimental ballads, and patriotic songs.

An extremely prolific composer, Irving Berlin wrote over 1,500 songs, 19 Broadway shows, and wrote scores for 18 Hollywood films.  He was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and in 1942 won the award for best song ‘White Christmas‘. Other awards include multiple Tony Awards, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Songwriters’ Hall of Fame, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Selected Broadway Shows and Songs

Watch Your Step (1914) – ‘Play a Simple Melody’
Stop! Look! Listen (1915) – ‘The Girl on the Magazine Cover,’ ‘I Love a Piano’
Yip! Yip! Yaphank (1918) – ‘Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning’
Ziegfeld Follies (1919) – ‘A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody,’ ‘Mandy’
Music Box Review (1921-1924) – ‘Say It With Music,’ ‘Lady of the Evening’
As Thousands Cheer (1933) – ‘Heat Wave,’ ‘Easter Parade,’ ‘Supper Time’
Annie Get Your Gun (1946) – ‘Doin’ What Come Natur’lly’, ‘The Girl That I Marry,’ ‘Anything You Can Do,’ and more.

Selected Songs for Films

Mammy (1929) – ‘Let Me Sing and I’m Happy’
Top Hat (1935) – ‘Cheek to Cheek,’ ‘Top Hat, White Tie and Tails’
Follow the Fleet (1936) – ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’
Holiday Inn (1942) – ‘Happy Holidays,’ ‘White Christmas’
Easter Parade (1948) – ‘Better Luck Next Time,’ ‘Steppin’ Out with My Baby’
White Christmas (1954) – ‘Count your Blessings,’ ‘The Best Things Happen When You’re Dancing’

Selected Songs

Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1911)
All By Myself (1921)
All Alone (1924)
Always (1925)
Remember (1925)
Blue Skies (1927)
Puttin’ On the Ritz (1929)
How Deep is the Ocean (1932)
Say It Isn’t So (1932)
God Bless America (1939)

More Information

Bergreen, Laurence. As Thousands Cheer: the Life of Irving Berlin. New York: Viking, 1990. Paley Library ML410.B499B5 1990

“Berlin, Irving.” Encyclopedia of Popular Music, 4th ed. Ed. Colin Larkin. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.<http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/epm/2064>.

Bordman, Gerald, and Thomas S. Hischak. “Berlin, Irving.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online.Oxford University Press. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.)

Furia, Philip and Graham Wood. Irving Berlin: a Life in Song. New York: Schirmer Books, 1998. Paley Library ML410.B499F87 1998

“Irving Berlin.” Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 8. Detroit: Gale, 1992. Biography in Context. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.)

Jablonski, Edward. Irving Berlin: American Troubadour. New York: Holt, 1999. Paley Library ML410.B499J33 1999

Sears, Benjamin. The Irving Berlin Reader. New York: Oxford U. Press, 2012. Paley Library ML410.B499 I78 2012

Listen to Music by Irving Berlin!

Berlin, Irving. Composers On Broadway: Irving Berlin. Cond. Stanley Black, Hal Mooney, John Mauceri, and Milton Rosenstock. Perf. Various Artists. Rec. 20 June 2006. Decca Records, 2006. Music Online: Classical Music Library. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.)

Fitzgerald, Ella, Ted Nash, Chuck Gentry, John Best, Pete Candoli, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Don Fagerquist, William Schaefer, Juan Vincente Martinez Tizol, Julian Clifton “Matty” Matlock, Gene Cipriano, Paul Smith, Barney Kessel, Joe Mondragon, and Alvin Stoller, perfs. The Irving Berlin Songbook. Rec. 10 Apr. 1992. Universal Classics & Jazz, 1992. Music Online: Jazz Music Library. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.)

Irving Berlin At The Movies Volume 1. Rec. 30 Nov. 2008. Vanilla OMP, 2008. Music Online: Popular Music Library. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.) 

Irving Berlin At The Movies Volume 2. Rec. 30 Nov. 2008. Vanilla OMP, 2008. Music Online: Popular Music Library. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. (Temple authentication required.)

 

 

 

 

Adobe Digital Editions 4 Privacy Concerns

Posted on by
3
Recent reports have indicated that the Adobe Digital Editions software used by libraries around the world to check-out and download ebooks has been logging and sending back to Adobe un-encrypted information about users’ reading histories.  This issue seems to be limited to Adobe Digital Editions version 4.
Ebooks provided by Temple University Libraries are currently only available for reading online and/or for download as PDF files, and do not use the affected Adobe Digital Editions software.  Temple users concerned about their privacy may still want to consider uninstalling the Adobe Digital Editions 4 software if it is being used for ebooks provided from another source.  Adobe Digital Editions 3 does not appear to compromise user privacy and could be installed in place of version 4.

Got Rhythm? Got Music? Got Gershwin? We do!

Posted on by
8

Strike up the band sheet music.Funny Face sheet music coverGershwin sheet music cover Delicious

Boyer Noontime Concert Series at Paley

proudly presents

John Johnson and the Great American Songwriters

S’Wonderful! George and Ira Gershwin

Thursday, October 9th
12 – 1 PM
Paley Library Lecture Hall

Light Refreshments Served.

Approved for Boyer Recital Credit.

Bring your lunch. Bring your friends. Relax. Refresh. Renew. Enjoy!

Who could ask for anything more?

John Johnson photo

John Johnson, pianist, singer, entertainer, scholar, and beloved Boyer professor presents songs of George and Ira Gershwin!

The Gershwin Brothers legendary songwriting team epitomize American song of the Jazz Age.  Their collaboration, although short-lived due to George’s untimely death, produced countless American song classics such as “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “Embraceable You”, “Fascinating Rhythm”, “I Got Rhythm”, “Shall We Dance”, “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, and many more.  George Gershwin blends together elements from ragtime, jazz, classical music, and rhythms from Black American dance to create music that entices, engages, and enchants.  Ira’s genius for witty, ingenious, and sophisticated lyrics combine with his innate understanding of George’s music to provide the perfect musical symbiosis.  Gershwin songs exemplify the Jazz age, yet continue to remain timeless.

 John Johnson, native of Houston, Texas, is currently Professor of Music Theory at Temple University’s Boyer College. With music degrees from the University of Texas, John also studied at the Royal Danish Conservatory, the University of Copenhagen, and the Royal Academy of Music in London.  An extraordinary entertainer, John served as scriptwriter, music director, and lecturer performer around the world.  John has received many awards, including the Meritorious Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center, the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, and Temple University’s  Great Teacher Award, the highest teaching honor offered by the university.

Find Out More About George and Ira Gershwin!
(* needs Temple authentication)

The Gershwin Legacy – from the Library of Congress

George and Ira Gershwin  Website

*Gerald Bordman and Thomas s. Hischak. “Gershwin, Ira.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.

*”Ira Gershwin.” Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. New York: Schirmer, 2001. Biography in Context.

*Richard Crawford, et al. “Gershwin, George.” Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press.

*”George Gershwin.” Dictionary of American Biography. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1944. Biography in Context.

*Schiff, David. “Misunderstanding (George) Gershwin: the composer mixed popular and classical idioms like no one before or since, and performers are still baffled.” The Atlantic Oct. 1998: 100-5. Biography in Context.

Books

Gershwin George.  The Music and Lyrics of George and Ira Gershwin.  Peter Foss, ed. Miami, FL: Warner Bros., 1998.  Paley Stacks M1508.G47 M874x 1998

Gershwin, Ira.  Ira Gershwin: Selected Lyrics.  Robert Kimball, ed.  New York: Library of America, 2009.  Paley Stacks ML54.6.G28 I73 2009

Jablonski, Edward. The Gershwin Years. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1973.  Paley Stacks ML410.G288J3 1973

Rosenberg, Deena.  Fascinating Rhythm: the collaboration of George and Ira Gershwin. New York: Dutton, 1991.  Paley Stacks ML419.G288R67 1991

 Printed Music

Gershwin, George.  Of Thee I Sing.  Lyrics by Ira Gershwin.  New York: New World Music Corp., 1932.  Paley Stacks M1503.G376O4x

Gershwin, George.  Porgy and Bess.  Lyrics by Du Bose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.  New York: Gershwin Pub. Corp., 1935.  Paley Stacks M1503.G376P5 1935

Gershwin, George. The George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1960.  Paley Stacks M1507.G38 S6 1960

Streaming Audio
(Temple authentication required)

Fascinating Rhythm:  The Songwriting Talents of George & Ira Gershwin.  Includes “Fascinating Rhythm”, “They Can’t Take That Away From Me”, “Summertime”, “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off”, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, “S’Wondreful”, and more!

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book. Includes “My One and Only”, “Beginner’s Luck”, “Lady Be Good”, “The Man I Love”, “Shall We Dance?”, “Funny Face”, and more!

 Gershwin’s World.  Performed by Herbie Hancock, Bakithi Kumalo, Cyro Baptista, James Carter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chick Corea, Kenny Garrett, Joni Mitchell, and more!

 Video

An American in Paris [videorecording] by Alan Jay Lerner, George and Ira Gershwin, produced by Arthur Freed, directed by Vincent Minnelli.  Paley Media Services PN1997.A3457x 2008

Funny  Face [videorecording] produced by Roger Edens, directed by Stanley Donen, written by Leonard Gershe, music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin.

The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess [videorecording] by George Gershwin, DuBose and Dorothy Heyward, and Ira Gershwin.   Paley Media Services M1500.G47 P674x 2001

Shall We Dance [videorecording] screenplay by Allan Scott and Ernest Pagano, adaptation by P. J. Wolfson, directed by Mark Sandrich, music and lyrics by George and Ira Gershwin.

What’s New Wednesdays: Research Guides Now Mobile-Friendly

Posted on by
11

As of August, our library research guides have received a makeover. The new interface includes a simplified look and feel and a mobile friendly design. Not sure what research guides are? They’re mini-web sites created by librarians to help you get started with research. Research guides are tailored for specific subjects and courses to help connect you to the resources you need.

Research any time on any device

Temple libraries’ research guides still contain all of the great content you need, such as  databases, books, websites, videos, and more, to help you tackle research projects, but now you can access research guides on across a range of devices including desktops, tablets and smartphones.

Arts of the Western World course guide by Art Librarian, Jill Luedke

Arts of the Western World course guide by Art Librarian, Jill Luedke

LibGuide displayed on a mobile phone

Arts of the Western World course guide by Art Librarian, Jill Luedke

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Access TU libraries’ Research Guides anytime at guides.temple.edu or by going to the library website and selecting the “Guides” tab.

Cool Urban Sophistication… Songs of Cole Porter

Posted on by
7

De-Lovely couple dancing

Great American Songwriters Series: John Johnson

Urban Sophistication:  Songs of Cole Porter

Paley Library Lecture Hall
Thursday, September 25, 2014
12-1

Bring your lunch. Bring your friends. Relax. Restore. Renew. Enjoy.
Boyer Recital Credit is given.

Temple University Libraries Noontime Concert Series welcomes you back to Philadelphia with the first of our Noontime Concert Series featuring guest artist John Johnson and “Urban Sophistication: Songs of Cole Porter.”

  photo of John Johnson

John Johnson, pianist, singer, scholar, and entertainer extraordinaire joins us for his “Great American Songwriter” series, sharing with us beautiful melodies, fascinating insights, and inescapable charm! Scriptwriter, performer, and expert in musical theater, John is also a distinguished teacher and lecturer, Professor of Music Theory at the Boyer College. 

 

Smiling photo of Cole Porter

 

Cole Porter‘s songs epitomize cool urban sophistication.  Delightful melodies pair with lyrics that are known for clever double-entendres and yet maintain a graceful eloquence.  Join us to hear beautiful, familiar American classics such as:  “Night and Day,” ” Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),”  “You’re the Top,” ” Anything Goes,” ” I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Too Darn Hot”, “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,”  “I Love Paris,”  “It’s De-Lovely!” and more!

 

“The light touch, the finger-tip kiss, the double entendre, and the lacy lists of cosmopolitan superlatives – these were the marks of Cole Porter’s songs.”    “Cole Porter was the master of the witty, sophisticated song.”

Find more about Cole Porter at your library!

Books

Citron, Stephen. Noel and Cole: the Sophisticates. london: Sinclair-Stevenson, 1992.  Library  Depository ML390.C585x 1992

Eells, Goerge.  The Life that Late He Led.: a Biography of Cole Porter. New York: Putnam, 1967.

McBrien, William. Cole Porter: a Biography. new York: Knopf, 1998. Paley Stacks ML401.P7844 M33 1998

Morella, Joe.  Genius and Lust: the Creative and Sexual Lives of noel Coward and Cole Porter. new York: Carroll & Graf, 1995. Paley Stacks ML390.M77 1995

Schwartz, Charles.  Cole Porter: a Biography. New York: Dial Press, 1977. Paley Stacks ML410.P7844S4

Streaming Audio (Temple users only)

Tribute to Cole Porter performed by Manu Le Prince
Swings Cole Porter performed by anita O’Day, Milt Bernhard, Monty Budwig, and more.
The Jazz Giants Play Cole Porter: Night and Day
It’s De’Lovely – The Music of Cole Porter (1924-1940)

Video

Anything Goes performed by Ethel Merman and Frank Sinatra
High Society performed by Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong
Born to Dance performed by Eleanor Powell, James Stewart, Virginia Bruce
De-Lovely – musical portrait of Cole Porter

 

 

Paley Noontime Concert Series!

Posted on by
6
Johnson

John Johnson: Great American Songwriters

ant-327641_1280

Creepy Crawly! Charles Abramowic and his studio

Classical Guitar: Allen Krantz and Students

 

 

 

 

 

 

In partnership with the Boyer College, Temple University Libraries again present our Noontime Concert Series at Paley Library.  The concert lineup for this year features outstanding artists. John Johnson, pianist, singer, scholar, and entertainer extraordinaire will present a “Great American Songwriter” series with music by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Irving Berlin.  Returning this fall after their sensational “Springtime in Paris” concerts are Dr. Charles Abramowic and his students, this time featuring piano music by Shostakovich played to early Russian animated films of Ladislaw Starewic.  Alan Krantz, professor of guitar, and his students will share with us their beautiful music in “Classical Guitar: Intimate, Romantic, Cosmopolitan.”  Who could resist?

All concerts take place in the Paley Library Lecture Hall  (ground floor) from noon to 1:00 P.M.   Light refreshments are served.  Boyer recital credit is given.

Begun in Spring 2014, and drawing on the finest talent anywhere, this series provides an informal, enormously fun, and relaxing mid-day diversion.

Bring your lunch. Bring your friends. Relax. Restore. Renew. Enjoy.

Paley Noontime Concert Series Fall 2014

JohnsonPorterDlovely
John Johnson:  Great American Songwriters
Cole Porter – Urban Sophistication
Thursday, September 25, 12:00 – 1:00 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

******************************************

Johnsongershwindelicious
John Johnson:  Great American Songwriters
George Gershwin: S’wonderful!
Thursday, October 9th, 12:00-1:00 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

******************************************

ant-327641_1280cameramansrevengesmallshostakovich
Creepy Crawly!  Early Russian Animated Film and Piano Music of Shostakovich
Dr. Charles Abramowic and his Sensational Students
Thursday, October 30th, 12:00-1:00 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

******************************************

guitargrove charango-66899_1280
Classical Guitar: Intimate, Romantic, Cosmopolitan
Alan Krantz and his Students
Wednesday, November 19th, 12:00-1:00 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

******************************************

Johnsonberlinpianoman

John Johnson: Great American Songwriters
Irving Berlin: Say It With Music!
Thursday, December 4th, 12:00-1:00 P.M.
Paley Library Lecture Hall

******************************************

Mark your calendars!

Thursday, September 25th
Thursday, October 9th
Thursday, October 30th
Wednesday, November 19th
Thursday, December 4th

******************************************

 

 

 

What’s New Wednesdays: Library Quick Guide

Posted on by
4

Temple University Libraries staff are constantly asking themselves how to make our collections more accessible, how we can make it easier to get help when it’s needed, and how to help our students and faculty find what they need when they need it. To that end we create numerous research guides, a general user guide to the Libraries, lists of our subject specialists who can answer your questions and even a special guide to computing at the Libraries.

Great stuff, right. But we never rest on our laurels. We are always trying to come up with that next great way to help our community members.

Introducing our new “Getting Started at Temple University Libraries” guide. We’ve distilled the most essential questions and answers into a single, simple guide.

It covers just six things: (1) How do i find a book? (2) How do i find articles? (3) What are the hours? (4) How do i view my account? (5) Where are the study spaces? (6) How can i get more help?

It looks like this:

image of a new library guide

This is our new Getting Started guide

image of new library guide

This is the reverse side of the new quick guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can pick up one of these new guides at most of our library service desks. If you have any feedback about our new guide, please let us know.

Complete Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER)

Posted on by
4

Open educational resources (OER) are freely available learning materials that are becoming more popular as a strategy for providing students with an alternative to costly textbooks. Knowing that their students are already challenged by the cost of higher education, many faculty are looking for ways to help students save money. Adopting openly accessible textbooks and other open learning content is one way to do that. But it also has other advantages, the primary one being that it can enhance student success by making learning materials affordable. Research has shown that many students don’t buy an expensive textbook or they try to share it with other students. That detracts from learning.

How do you get started with OER if you are interested in learning more about the resources and how to integrate them into a learning environment? Campus Technology recently published a good introduction to OER in the August 2014 issue. “Complete Guide to OER” starts with a definition: “Teaching, learning and research resources that reside in the public domain…and includes full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, texts, software, and other materials used to access knowledge.”

It then provides a good overview that includes four myths about OER, six tips for using OER, six arguments for OER, 18 sites for finding OER, ideas for spreading the word about OER on campus, and some information about OER formats.

The other way to learn more about OER and how it’s being used at Temple University is to explore our Alternate Textbook Project website. The Temple University Libraries has offered support for faculty to replace their traditional commercial textbook with other materials, including OER. There are examples of projects and links to additional resources. If you would like to learn more about the Alternate Textbook Project or OER, please contact Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian.

What’s New Wednesdays: Introducing Summon 2.0

Posted on by
4

As of July 21st, our all-star database Summon has received an update resulting in a sparkling new interface and some helpful new features. (Don’t remember which database is Summon? It’s that big ol’ search box in the middle of the library home page.) Check out some of the changes below:

  • Topic Explorer – Summon will automatically plug your search term into one of our reference databases and pull a relevant encyclopedia entry to provide a brief overview of the topic. This will be located in the top right hand corner of the page.
Henson 1

(click on photo to enlarge)

 

 

  • Increased item information – Whenever you hover over one of the items in your results, you’ll see expanded item information in the right hand column. This can include citation information, but can also include article abstracts and book summaries.
Henson 2a

(click on photo to enlarge)

 

  • Suggested search terms – Not finding what you want and having some trouble thinking outside the box? Summon now has prominently displayed “Related Topics” that may help you formulate more effective search terms.
Henson 3

(click on photo to enlarge)

 

  • More easily navigable refinement tools – Now, you can simply select from the left hand side of the page whatever refinements you want to narrow down your search. No more “include” or “exclude”.
Henson 4

(click on photo to enlarge)

 

 

  • To infinity and beyond – Summon 2.0 uses an infinite scroll, so no more clicking through page by page.
  • Folder Storage – The Saved Items folder is now more prominently displayed (it’s in the left hand corner.) Didn’t know you could save items to look at later? We hope the new larger icon will serve as a visual reminder.

 

Ready to take Summon for a test drive?

And don’t forget:

Summon searches ALL the holdings TU Libraries has access to—this means books, eBooks, journal articles, newspaper articles, magazine articles, videos, films, government documents, etc. If you have a specific research need and Summon isn’t helping, one of our subject specialist librarians will be happy to help you find what you’re looking for.

Henson 5

 

Survey to Gather Information About Electronic Resource Use

Posted on by
6

In an effort to gather information about use of the Temple University Libraries’ electronic resources, an occasional web-based survey will be launched on July 31. The survey form will appear when connecting to any electronic resource including journal databases, online encyclopedias, music libraries, electronic books, and other e-reources. The online web survey must be completed in order to gain access to the desired electronic resource. This four question survey, while creating a momentary disruption, will only be conducted for two consecutive hours per month throughout the academic year, running through June of 2015.  The survey will be presented only once in the two hour interval as long as the browser window is not closed.  The survey is anonymous and will coincide with short on-site surveys of a similar nature taking place at some campus libraries.

The University Administration has requested that we conduct this survey to gain more information about how institutional investment in electronic information resources contributes to our scholars’ and researchers’ capacity to perform research that leads to new discoveries. While this survey will create some minimal disruption in the short run, the data gathered has proven to be of great benefit to our institution in the long run. Therefore, we will greatly appreciate your understanding and cooperation if and when you are asked to complete the survey form.

Should you have further questions, FAQ are appended to the online survey instrument. Further questions may be directed to the Controller’s Office, which is sponsoring the survey.