San Antonio College Library

This program discusses the development of this ethereal instrument in 8th-century Ireland. We see how Irish monks introduced the harp to Europe, and follow its growth from a small, hand-held instrument into the standard 75-pound, 46-string instrument played today. Works by Handel, Mozart, Liszt, and Debussy, as well as music from Ireland and Switzerland, illustrate the harp's use through time.

Describes the life of the abolitionist whose struggle to free American slaves resulted in the raid on Harpers Ferry.

"Redpath's Public Life of John Brown was his "most popular and influential work" (Knight, Writers of the American Renaissance, 310). While "there is no evidence that Brown asked Redpath to participate in his raid on the Harpers Ferry arsenal, there is considerable evidence that Redpath knew many details of Brown's plan. Besides his personal conversations with Brown, Redpath had discussed Brown's intentions with [journalist] Richard Hinton as early...

"Painting a panorama of the colorful quarter century before the Civil War, Otto Scott's prose captures the contemporary passions of a period of intense abolitionist feeling, the heat of the adamant pro-slavery faction, and the lively personalities who made the issues burst into flames. This moving view of the end of the Jefferson Republic provides an historical viewpoint on political extremism that has compelling relevance in our own time." --Page...

An American folk-epic which depicts the events of the Civil War.

Beginning with a searing indictment of slavery, this program dramatically evokes the causes of the war. Here are the burning questions of union and states' rights, John Brown at Harper's Ferry, the election of Abraham Lincoln, the firing on Fort Sumter, and the jubilant rush to arms on both sides. Along the way the war's major figures are introduced: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and a host of lesser-known but...

"Who was the real Atticus Finch? The publication of Go Set a Watchman in 2015 forever changed how we think about Atticus Finch. Once seen as a paragon of decency, he was reduced to a small-town racist. How are we to understand this transformation? In Atticus Finch, historian Joseph Crespino draws on exclusive sources to reveal how Harper Lee's father provided the central inspiration for each of her books. A lawyer and newspaperman, A.C. Lee was a...

Often described as the father of 20th-century art direction, Alexey Brodovitch and his contributions to Harper's Bazaar over the years remain the reference point for several generations of photographers and art directors. Brodovitch was one of the first to incorporate the space available into the overall design -- for example, in his pioneering use of the double-page spread. With an infallible eye, he promoted photographers such as Blumenfeld, Cartler-Bresson,...

On any Sunday afternoon a traveler through the Deep South might chance upon the rich, full sound of Sacred Harp singing. Aided with nothing but their own voices and the traditional shape-note songbook, Sacred Harp singers produce a sound that is unmistakable--clear and full-voiced. Passed down from early settlers in the backwoods of the Southern Uplands, this religious folk tradition hearkens back to a simpler age when Sundays were a time for the...