Peek in the Stacks: igra

What is the link between a pickled human heart, the rise of the middle class, and the oldest musical instrument? The answer lies in Special Collections & Archives. Housed within the Vahdah Olcott-Bickford Collection is a transcription by Fransisco Tarrega of Chopin’s Prelude Op. 28, No. 15 for the guitar. This is a particularly unique item considering the history of the guitar. 

Music and oral traditions from the global South are often pushed aside and considered to be unimportant, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Fortunately there have been attempts to remedy this mindset through a measured academic study of the music and culture from the global South. One example specifically covering Latin American music is...

Legendary classical guitarist Julian Bream passed away at the age of 87 on August 14, 2020. Bream was a lover of all music, and he surrounded himself within the sonic landscapes of every musical era, going back as far as the music of 15-century lutenists. The IGRA Guitar Research Archives Discography Collection contains an immense collection of phonograph recordings. These recordings are a valuable resource for any music researcher, performer, teacher or student looking to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of performed music...

The International Guitar Research Archives consists of many books and periodicals donated from the personal collections of various figures in the guitar community. Much of this material focuses on the history of important players and composers of the instrument. An interesting topic that is sometimes overlooked is the history of the actual instrument itself....