Bacharach’s widow, Jane, who made the donation, and the Library of Congress announced the acquisition in a statement Thursday.
The collection includes thousands of sheet music, including his arrangement of The Look of Loveand musical sketches for songs like “Alfie” and “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”
Bacharach delighted millions in the 1960s and 1970s with these melodies and other original, unforgettable songs, including “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Close to You” and dozens of other hits.
The multiple Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winner died last year at the age of 94.
Jane Bacharach said in a statement that she chose the institution because Burt Bacharach and his writing partner Hal David received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song from the Library of Congress in 2012, and Bacharach appreciated it more than all his other rewards. This is the first time the library has acquired a collection from one of its Gershwin winners.
“Burt put his heart and soul into his music, and we are so proud that the library gives others the opportunity to visit and appreciate his legacy,” she said.
The collection will be available to researchers in summer 2025.
“The library is proud to be responsible for ensuring that Bacharach’s music and legacy remain accessible to future generations, in hopes of inspiring them with his creativity and uniquely American musical genius,” said the librarian. Congresswoman Carla Hayden in a statement.
Bacharach’s papers will join the collected manuscripts and papers of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Billy Strayhorn, Leonard Bernstein, and Henry Mancini at the library.
