The Library of Congress recently announced a new, first-of-its-kind collaboration with a Broadway national tour company. The Music Division and company of “The Sound of Music” developed a touring display and multimedia content for performances of the iconic American musical taking place across the U.S. and Canada. Engagement activities such as this traveling display are part of the Library’s mission “To engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity.” As one of the great American musicals, “The Sound of Music” has become an intergenerational favorite and its hit songs, like “My Favorite Things,” have been recorded by countless artists across genres. “The Sound of Music” was inducted into the National Recording Registry and National Film Registry in 2017.
Curated by Senior Music Reference Specialist Cait Miller, “Inside the Vault” provides audiences with a chance to learn about the creative process and history behind the development of “The Sound of Music” through facsimiles of music and lyric manuscripts and sketches, photographs and correspondence from the Oscar Hammerstein II Collection, Richard Rodgers Collection, and others. The displays also provide an opportunity for the Library to reach musical theater fans in cities ranging from New Haven and Philadelphia to Fayetteville, Omaha and San Diego. “The Sound of Music” North American tour is currently scheduled to run through June 2027 and the display will be displayed in the lobbies of the local theaters.
Enjoy this video from when “The Sound of Music” cast visited the Library in 2025:
“Inside the Vault” focuses on the writing of six of the most beloved songs from “The Sound of Music”: “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “My Favorite Things,” “So Long, Farewell” and “The Sound of Music.” Viewers can see how Oscar Hammerstein II developed the lyrics for “My Favorite Things,” how the stage version differs from the film version, and how a Dominican nun and theater professor named Sister Gregory advised the show’s creative team about the representation of religious life. Anyone interested in the history of “The Sound of Music” can explore additional resources through the “Inside the Vault” webpage and the Library’s website. These materials are all available for research in the Library’s Performing Arts Reading Room, which is open Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
