Music by Black Artists

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Repertoire Bibliographies

Repertoire bibliographies list compositions for specific instruments or ensembles. This section contains sample items in the Music Library collection. This list does not represent everything available from Western Libraries.

An annotated bibliography of selected solo music written for the piano by black composers by Ernest James Brown
Call Number: ML128.P3B76 1976a

Thesis--University of Maryland. "Ragtime composers": leaves 92-96. "List of publishers and their addresses": leaves 97-98. Includes abstract, bibliography, and vita.
Keyboard Music of Black Composers by Aaron Horne
Call Number: ML128.B45H68 1992

Following the pattern established with his pioneering works String Music of Black Composers and Woodwind Music of Black Composers, Aaron Horne now presents a comparable work for the piano and related instruments (such as accordion, harpsichord, and organ). Composers from Africa as well as the Diaspora are covered in this volume, the most comprehensive work on the topic yet published.
Piano Music by Black Women Composers by Helen Walker-Hill
Call Number: ML128.P3W3 1992

Proceeding from a desire to use music of black women composers in her piano performance and teaching, Helen Walker-Hill has dedicated herself to uncovering this material, utilizing secondary sources and numerous archives, conducting interviews with composers, and engaging in voluminous correspondence with individuals and institutions. The result is the most comprehensive catalog of music composed by African American women to date. The depth of detail required limiting the scope to solo and ensemble piano music.
String Music of Black Composers by Aaron Horne
Call Number: ML128.B45H7 1991

Following the pattern established with his pioneering work, Woodwind Music of Black Composers, Aaron Horne now presents a comparable work for the string music of Black composers. Composers from Africa as well as the Diaspora are covered in this, the most comprehensive work on the topic yet published.
Woodwind Music of Black Composers by Aaron Horne
Call Number: ML128.W5H65 1990

This pioneering volume will become the standard source of information on nineteenth and twentieth century Black composers from three continents as well as their woodwind compositions. It contains the most current and complete biographical data on 90 African composers, Afro-American composers, Afro-Latin composers, and Afro-European composers, including their education and professional experience and information on their continuing musical influence.

Composers

Western Libraries' catalogue does not identify individual composers or compositions by race or ethnicity. You may wish to identify composers or compositions of interest using the following resources, and then search Omni

The Composer Equity Project
(linked PDF) - by Chamber Music America - "A Database of ALAANA*, Women, and Gender Non-Conforming Composers" - "*Chamber Music America uses the acronym ALAANA to indicate composers who identify as African/Black, Latinx, Asian/South Asian, Arab/Middle Eastern, and Native American"
The Institute for Composer Diversity
Includes Composer Diversity Database and Works Diversity Database
New Muses Project
Our mission is executed primarily through our website (www.newmusesproject.com), which hosts a new, exciting, and straightforward way to learn about underrepresented composers from throughout classical music history. Our unique search tool generates curated recommendations of composers to explore based on the user’s current composer interests.
A Seat at the Piano
"Promoting Inclusion in Piano Repertoire" - Scores, Recordings, Leveling - "A resource for pianists, pedagogues, and curious music appreciators to explore."
Theodore Front Musical Literature
"Explore Music by Black Composers"

A Selection of Composers with Repertoire in Western Libraries' Collections

The following anthologies contain scores by Black composers in the Western Classical tradition.

Anthology of art songs by black American composers by Willis C. Patterson
Call Number: M1619.A583

Publication Date: 1977

Includes biographical notes on the composers.
The second anthology of art songs by African American composers by Willis C. Patterson
Call Number: M1619.A584 2002

Publication Date: 2002

Accompanying compact discs contain performances by various singers with piano accompaniment. Includes biographical notes on the composers and performers.
Black women composers: twentieth century music for piano and strings by Helen Walker-Hill, Gregory Walker
Call Number: M229.B533 2003

Publication Date: 2003

Includes introd. and biographical information.

The following is a selection of Black composers represented in the Music Library's score collection.

Scores and Sheet Music

Visit our Finding Music (by instrument) and Sheet Music - Online Resources pages.