Did you
catch PBS’s recent special, Hamilton’s
America, and want to learn more about Alexander Hamilton and the mega-hit Broadway
musical based on his life? (You can watch
it online through 11/18.) MCPL has the resources to get you started!
At
700+ pages, Ron Chernow’s compelling biography, Alexander Hamilton, was the inspiration behind Lin-Manuel Miranda’s
musical. Chernow brings to life Hamilton’s Dickensian childhood in the West
Indies as an orphaned illegitimate child, as well as his early struggles and
successes in New York as war with Britain foments. He describes Hamilton’s
vital role in the Revolutionary War as General Washington’s Aide-de-Camp, and
his combative interactions with Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams
as they worked to build the fledgling nation. Chernow relays Hamilton’s
evolving understanding of economic and political theory and how it shaped his
decisions as America’s first Treasury Secretary—and later, the great tragedies
that befall his life and lead to an early death in a duel with nemesis Aaron
Burr.
While
Chernow’s work is a tour-de-force, you may be interested in other biographies of Hamilton. MCPL’s collection also includes writings by Hamilton such as the Federalist Papers, a remarkable collection of 85 essays by
Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison from 1788 that encouraged citizens to
ratify the U.S. Constitution. For children and teens, MCPL holds several biographies, including award-winning author Jean
Fritz’s Alexander Hamilton: The Outsider.
Want to
know more about the genesis of the celebrated musical? As described on PBS, Lin-Manuel
Miranda bought a copy of Chernow’s Hamilton
in 2008 en route to his vacation. He immediately envisioned the possibility of
a musical—and given Hamilton’s outsider status, outsized ambition and sense of
honor—writing a hip hop score. Hamilton: The Revolution, co-written by Miranda, gives an insider’s view of the
creative process, with essays, interviews, photos and lyrics. Miranda spent the next 6 years working
on Hamilton, taking a full year to
write the opening song, which he famously presented at the White House in 2009.
If
you’re interested in the music score, MCPL holds copies of Hamilton:
An American Musical. You can borrow the soundtrack through Marina Interlibrary Loan, or go to the label’s official page for lyrics and song excerpts. If Hamilton has piqued an interest in rap and hip-hop, listen
to and download artists’ works referenced by Miranda—such as Notorious B.I.G., DMX
and Jay-Z—on Freegal, MCPL’s free music download service. MCPL also has books on the history of rap and hip hop.
The
national tour of Hamilton is
scheduled to stop at the Kennedy Center in DC in June 2018 (!) For now, it continues
its Broadway run, and opened in Chicago this past fall. While tickets are scarce
and expensive in New York, you can enter an online lottery for $10 front-row tickets to each performance. And while in Manhattan, visit Hamilton's home, the Grange, and stop by his and his family’s burial sites
at Trinity Church. The dueling ground where both Hamilton and his
son were fatally shot is across the Hudson River in Weehawken, NJ. Happy
Hamilton-mania!
Want to read more? Check out our earlier blog posts!
Labels: Books, music, Olney, reading
Did you
catch PBS’s recent special, Hamilton’s
America, and want to learn more about Alexander Hamilton and the mega-hit Broadway
musical based on his life? (You can watch
it online through 11/18.) MCPL has the resources to get you started!
Want to
know more about the genesis of the celebrated musical? As described on PBS, Lin-Manuel
Miranda bought a copy of Chernow’s Hamilton
in 2008 en route to his vacation. He immediately envisioned the possibility of
a musical—and given Hamilton’s outsider status, outsized ambition and sense of
honor—writing a hip hop score. Hamilton: The Revolution, co-written by Miranda, gives an insider’s view of the
creative process, with essays, interviews, photos and lyrics. Miranda spent the next 6 years working
on Hamilton, taking a full year to
write the opening song, which he famously presented at the White House in 2009. 
The
national tour of Hamilton is
scheduled to stop at the Kennedy Center in DC in June 2018 (!) For now, it continues
its Broadway run, and opened in Chicago this past fall. While tickets are scarce
and expensive in New York, you can enter an online lottery for $10 front-row tickets to each performance. And while in Manhattan, visit Hamilton's home, the Grange, and stop by his and his family’s burial sites
at Trinity Church. The dueling ground where both Hamilton and his
son were fatally shot is across the Hudson River in Weehawken, NJ. Happy
Hamilton-mania!