Mahler and Bernstein in the Library of Congress Collections

This lesson was used in a graduate-level seminar that centers on the music of Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860–1911). It uses his music as a starting point for exploring significant questions in music research that relate to students’ individual interests. 

• To locate and identify primary sources in Library of Congress digital collections that relate to Mahler’s music and its contexts
• To observe unusual or unexpected details in related primary sources, and use those as starting points to ask larger questions about music history

• Students are introduced to the Library of Congress digital collections portal and continue trying various searches.
• Show handwritten version of “Young People’s Concert Scripts: Who is Gustav Mahler?”
• Show typescript of “Young People’s Concert Scripts: Who is Gustav Mahler?”

These scripts represent different stages of what Leonard Bernstein presented in a televised Young People’s Concert from 1960 on the music of Mahler. Written changes both within and across the documents show differences between what Bernstein planned to communicate at different times leading up to the broadcast. Differences include minor changes in wording and deletions of entire passages.

• Students explore corresponding sections of the two scripts in groups and generate a list of differences — both within and across the two scripts — and questions that these differences raise. Each group shares their findings with the class, leading to group discussion on strategies for answering those questions.
• Search for, locate, and make note of other items relating to Mahler’s music in the Bernstein Collection (or another LOC collection, if they wish).
• The Fine Arts Librarian visited in the first few weeks of the course to provide instruction on identifying primary source materials, finding primary source materials using the library search on the UAL Libraries website, as well as how to efficiently navigate the Library of Congress Digital Collections. 

• In a blog post, students will use their observations about the item they find as a starting point for raising questions and suggesting avenues for further exploration in the course. This may also include finding a second item and placing it in dialogue with the item they initially find.
• Throughout the semester, and depending on their specific interests, students will craft a series of blog posts that deal with primary sources, secondary sources, and musical observations. In doing so, they will seek items in digital collections that relate to Mahler’s works, and they are encouraged to use Library of Congress materials where applicable.

Each blog post is evaluated qualitatively by both the instructor. Longer term, students will use their experience with this activity to help in blog posts throughout the semester, in which many students will continue to locate and discuss primary sources.