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Music

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

A Brooklyn Basketball Court Is Named After Notorious B.I.G.

Previous attempts to honor the rapper were stymied by community board members who took offense to Biggie’s lyrics, criminal history and even his weight

Christylez Bacon at the Opening Ceremony of the 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Christylez Bacon on Finding His Voice through Music

The Grammy-nominated artist takes inspiration from weaving together seemingly disparate musical forms

A page from Holst's lost "Folk Songs From Somerset"

Cool Finds

Lost Manuscripts From Composer of “The Planets” Found in New Zealand

No one is sure how the handwritten scores by Gustav Holst ended up in the archives of the Bay of Plenty Symphonia

Sony Will Start Pressing Vinyl Records After a 28-Year Hiatus

The company stopped producing vinyl records in 1989

Lining up at the Big Top for the 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Step Right Up to the Big Top Circus Tent at the 50th Annual Folklife Festival

The day the circus rolled into Washington, D.C., and other tales from the Smithsonian’s hot summer party on the National Mall

Mount Aragats in Aragatsotn, Armenia.

Armenia

Why This Composer Made Melodies Out of Mountainsides

This forgotten Armenian musicologist literally drew the landscapes into his folksong scores

Bob Fosse was a mean dancer himself–here he is playing the snake in 1974's "The Little Prince."

Choreographer Bob Fosse Is the Forgotten Author of Modern Musicals

Fosse’s signature style influenced everything from Michael Jackson to today’s musicals

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