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Music

In the late Bronze Age, ca. 500-450 BCE, bells were made in sets that rang different notes according to size.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

A Rare Collection of Bronze Age Chinese Bells Tells a Story of Ancient Innovation

These rarely played ancient bells are newly analyzed with their acoustics remastered and digitized for a new exhibition at the Sackler Gallery

A succulent spread from Petworth-based Japanese restaurant Himitsu, one of the many D.C. vendors that will be represented at IlluminAsia.

Freer|Sackler: Reopens

You’ve Never Tasted “Street Food” Like This Before

For its grand reopening, a hub of Asian-American culture serves up a culinary wonderland

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in concert, Toronto, Canada, 1995

Tom Petty, Standard-Bearer for Classic Rock, Dies at Age 66

In Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen, Bill Bentley remembers the singer-guitarist who forged a unique place in American rock

New Research

In a First, Archival-Quality Performances Are Preserved in DNA

Songs by Miles Davis and Deep Purple at the Montreux Jazz Festival will live on in the ultra-compact, long-lasting format

Irregular heart rhythms

The Innovative Spirit fy17

Turning Irregular Heartbeats Into Music

A set of piano pieces could help doctors better understand heart rhythm disorders

A typical day for three musicians in the Medici Court. This portrait, of three unnamed musicians, was painted circa 1687.

Three Things to Know About Francesca Caccini, the Renaissance Musical Genius You’ve Never Heard Of

The first female opera composer, Caccini worked for the super-rich-and-powerful Medici family

Joan Baez during the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C. in 1963.

‘We Shall Overcome’ Verse Now in the Public Domain

A judge recently struck down the copyright for the first verse of the iconic Civil Rights song

J. Ralph (left) and Sting (right), the night's honorees. Visible in the foreground is Sting's 1978 Stratocaster guitar, which is now a part of the Smithsonian collections.

Acclaimed Musicians Sting and J. Ralph Spread Social Justice Through Song

The Smithsonian honors two composers whose work and philanthropy are inextricably linked

Jenny Lind was massively popular in Europe and England, but she was a virtual unknown in America before 1849.

Why 30,000 People Came Out to See a Swedish Singer Arrive in New York

Most of them had never even heard Jenny Lind sing

New Research

Got Writer’s Block? Try Listening to Happy Music

A new study suggests that an upbeat tune can boost creativity

Buskers audition for licenses to make their living in the stations of the London Underground

How to Busk the London Underground

It’s a lucrative gig, but it means passing a strenuous process of auditions to find the very best subway musicians

Young Aboriginal dancers keeping their tradition alive at the Leura Festival in Australia.

Commentary

How We Can Support the World’s Rich Musical Diversity

Some music thrives, while other musical traditions are on the verge of disappearing

Mercury wrote or cowrote a number of Queen's biggest hits.

Freddie Mercury, Musical Genius and Stamp Collector

The singer-songwriter’s childhood stamp album offers an insight to his character

Link Wray

‘Rumble’ Aims to Upset the Rock ‘n’ Roll Canon

A documentary based on a Smithsonian exhibition is wowing festival audiences

This Cleveland DJ Popularized Rock ‘n’ Roll

Dancing – and dancing shows – became a teenage craze in the 1950s, spurred by figures like Cleveland DJ, Alan Freed

Esperanza Spalding’s Pop Culture Loves

She may not own a television, but the Grammy-award winning musician definitely has her favorite books and films

AI is now able to synthesize new sounds from old ones, and even compose original music

Art Meets Science

AI Is Edging Into the Art World in Psychedelic Ways

The team at Google is using neural networks to create tools that they hope will inspire and channel creativity

“Love Symbol #2”

Trending Today

Prince Now Has His Own Shade of Purple

The Pantone Color Institute has debuted “Love Symbol #2,” a deep purple based on the late star’s custom-made piano

Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.'s relationship endangered both of their careers.

Hollywood Loved Sammy Davis Jr. Until He Dated a White Movie Star

A decade before the Supreme Court ruled in favor of interracial marriage, the Rat Packer risked losing his career—and his life

Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family, the first two commercially popular country music acts, got their national start at the Bristol Sessions.

How the Bristol Sessions Created Country Music

Ninety years ago, a yodeller named Jimmie Rodgers laid down two of the tracks he would be remembered for

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