Maryland State Library Resource Center

Enoch Pratt Free Library

African American Music - Maryland State Library Resource Center

African American Music

Websites

African-American Sheet Music from Brown University
This digital collection consists of 1,454 pieces of African American sheet music dating from 1820s through present day. Searchable by keyword, and browsable by title, subject,  or its creator or contributor.

Afrocentric Voices in Classical Music
Focuses on performers and composers of opera, art songs, and spirituals produced for concerts. Includes biographies, chronology, bibliography, suggested web resources, and a list of research centers and special collections.
Honor!: A celebration of African American cultural legacy
Features an interactive timeline of African American music genres spanning 1600 to 2000. Each genre entry includes digitized archival material, musical samples, and an about page (with definition, context and history, musical feature/performance style, lyrics, and notable performers sections). Webpage includes a tab titled "Artists" that features biographical profiles.
Official Site of Negro Spirituals, Antique Gospel Music
This site includes pages on the history, singers, songs, and composers of traditional black spirituals.
Performing Arts Encyclopedia - Library of Congress (LOC)
A partial guide that highlights scores, sheet music, audio recordings, films, photographs and other items--some of which are online. Searchable by keyword, or browsable by format. Includes content such as articles, essays, and web presentations (e.g. African-American Band Music & Recordings, 1883-1923, Now What a Time: Blues, Gospel, and the Fort Valley Music Festivals, 1938-1943). 
The History Makers: the nation's largest African American video oral history collection
Musicmakers section features profiles of persons who have composed, performed, and promoted music ranging from country to classical to doo wop and including lyricists, music executives, pianists, and orchestra conductors, among others. Paid members gain access to full length video clips among other benefits.
The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America
Highlights the relationship of song to historical events from the nation's founding to the present, offering more than 80,000 online items (e.g. digitized recordings, sheet music, manuscripts). Also includes biographies, essays (e.g. African American Song, African American Spirituals , Blues as Protest) and curated content, interactive maps, a timeline and teaching resources offering context and expert analysis of the source material.

Databases

Maintained by the staff of the African American Department, State Library Resource Center, Enoch Pratt Free Library

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