Music Online

Free Download: Berlioz's Overture to Benvenuto Cellini

For Berlioz, success in opera was the surest route to financial reward and artistic reputation. Berlioz embarked on a search for a suitable subject, finally settling on Benvenuto Cellini's memoirs. Initially cast for the Opera-Comique in 1834, Berlioz elevated the tone of the work and offered it to the Paris Opera.

The popular overture is often performed separately in the concert hall.

This recording is performed by the Orchestre national de Montpellier, Lionel Arnaud, conductor.

Download this work now through December 8th, 2008.

Wellesley College Applauds Opera in Video

Students, faculty, and librarians at Wellesley College are excited to be using Opera in Video.  Headlining the latest Friends of the Library Newsletter is an article praising the streaming video collection. In just a few short months it is already proving to be a valuable asset to one soprano in particular.

In a note to Friends of the Wellesley College Library, junior Emily Saras says, "I just wanted to offer a big 'thank you' for helping the music library get this resource! . . . I am getting myself ready over the next year to apply to grad school for opera . . . and I could not be more excited about Opera in Video."

Saras continues, "One of my biggest goals at the moment is to learn how to use my body effectively as I sing. . . . The best opera stars are singing actors, and I want to watch their faces and how they move about the stage. . . . Although many people think that opera is all about 'voice,' I think the most successful operas have a fantastic visual element."

Voice instructor Andrea Matthews is also excited about the unique teaching tools available in the collection. Matthews states, "Six of the operas we'll be focusing on are available already and can be bookmarked on 'playlists' for easy organization and access."

Music Librarian Pamela Bristah echoes the enthusiasm of both Matthews and Sara, and describes the functionality in Opera in Video that lets any Wellesley student browse or search for operas based on numerous indexed fields.

To read the entire newsletter, visit http://www.wellesley.edu/Library/Fr-news/27Fall2008/FOLFall08.pdf.

SEM Winners

We would like to thank everyone that stopped by the Alexander Street booth and attended our annual breakfast at SEM in Middletown, CT last month. We thoroughly enjoyed talking to all of you and were overwhelmed by the number of participants in our drawing for a free subscription to The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online.

Congratulations to Becky Miller and Hampshire College, our 2008 SEM winners. Hampshire College will enjoy a complimentary year of access to one of our most popular music reference resources.

Please visit our Web site for more information on all of our music products.

And feel free to browse The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online now. You will only be prompted to log in when browsing deep within the collection.

Contact us to request a trial for your library.

Free Download of the Week: Satie's Trois Gnossiennes (1-3)

In 1889 Satie visited the Paris Exposition Universelle and witnessed a demonstration of Javanese Gamelan music. The impact of this exoticism was evident in the Gnossiennes that appeared the following year.

This recording is performed by France Clidat, pianist.

Download this work now through November 24, 2008.

Don't forget to check out the new Classical Music Library at http://clmu.alexanderstreet.com.

The new and improved Classical Music Library

We are delighted to announce that Classical Music Library has been migrated to a new platform. Subscribers can begin using it immediately by going to http://clmu.alexanderstreet.com.

This new release of Classical Music Library includes new features and updates in addition to the new interface. Here are just a few of the functions you'll want to explore:

• Album Browse: Browse all classical works by album and find associated recordings.
• Updated Playlists: Individual items in a playlist can be annotated, and links to any item (whether available in our collection or on the Web) can easily be added.
• Content Sharing: Create, name, and annotate a personal playlist. Then choose to share it with other users at your institution, or with anyone who subscribes to Classical Music Library.
• Advanced Search: The improved Advanced Search allows you to limit results to recordings where the complete work is available.
• Google Checkout: If your institution has downloading enabled in Classical Music Library, you'll be amazed at how quick and easy it is to purchase your favorite classical tracks.

All other content and functionality has been migrated from the old interface, including user accounts, playlists, and course folders, which will now appear as shared playlists.

Although the new interface is live, all existing links and URLs will continue to point to the old interface through 2008. In January 2009 all customers will automatically be redirected to the new platform, but we encourage you to start exploring and get used to the new Classical Music Library.

You will not need to do anything during the customer migration (all bookmarks and static URLs will automatically be forwarded), but you can read our Transition Guide for more information.

If you have any questions please contact support@alexanderstreet.com.

The new Classical Music Library is also free browse enabled. If you don't already have access, you can browse the collection for free at http://clmu.alexanderstreet.com.