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Baseball season has started, and this Pick of the Week brings you some interesting aspects of the history of the music of the nation's sport. The Library of Congress has the largest baseball collection in the world, and the Music Division has a fascinating online collection of 147 items of baseball sheet music. This edition includes musical performances from the 2009 Baseball Symposium, an audio file, notated music of the song "That Baseball Rag" and links to the Library's digital baseball collection. We hope you enjoy it!
Baseball Americana was a unique celebration of our national pastime, held at the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, the Library of Congress. The symposium examined baseball from a number of perspectives, particularly the viewpoints of people who experience the game at home (via TV, radio and newspapers), in the stands (as spectators, vendors and musicians), and on the field (as players and coaches). Speakers included former players, others who make their living through the game (including a stadium organist and a head groundskeeper), and experts on baseball cuisine, the language of baseball, and baseball memorabilia.
Ed Alstrom sings the lesser known verse and familiar refrain of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game".
The Washington, DC-based a cappella group, Reverb, performs the National Anthem of the United States of America.
Listen to a historic recording from The National Jukebox of baritone Arthur Collins sing "That Baseball Rag," composed by Clarence M. Jones with lyrics by Dave Wolff. Below the player, you will see a copy of the sheet music.
