Black American Sheet Music Collection
The Bank of America Black American Sheet Music Collection consists of approximately 4000 pieces of published sheet music reflecting the influences of African Americans on popular music in the United States. The music was created by, performed by, published by, or portrays Black and African American themes throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States. The collection highlights popular vocal music, jazz, big band, and swing music published in the United States. The earliest piece in the collection dates to 1818, and the latest editions date into the 1980s, thereby giving a chronicle of the evolution of Black-inspired music in America for almost 200 years. Some imagery and lyrics in this collection reflect harmful racist depictions of Black people and are included in the collections for their use in academic research.
Content Warning:
USF Libraries’ Digital Collections include historical and primary sources from many cultures and time periods. Some content may be harmful, graphic, difficult to view, or reflect biases. Digital Collections provides access to these materials to preserve the historical record, but we do not endorse the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found within them. USF Libraries’ is committed to conscious editing of Libraries’ generated descriptive terminology that may be offensive, harmful, or out of date.
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Nelly was a Lady
Stephen Collins Foster
The piano and vocal score for "Nelly was a Lady" composed by Stephen Collins Foster.
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Never Mind de White Folks
P. B. Jonas and E. P. Dante
The piano and vocal score for "Never Mind de White Folks" as sung by the Christy Minstrels. Written by P.B. Jonas and composed by E.P. Dante.
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Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen: Negro Spiritual: Theme with Variations
Henry S. Sawyer
"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" is a traditional Black spiritual. This variation was created by Henry S. Sawyer.
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Off for Baltimore
William Donaldson and B. E. Woolf
Ethiopian melody. Arranged for the piano by B.E. Woolf with lyrics by William Donaldson. As sung by Whites Ethiopian Serenaders.
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Oh Boys Carry Me Long
Stephen Collins Foster
The piano and vocal score for "Oh Boys Carry Me Long" by Stephen Collins Foster.
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Oh Let Me Dream of Former Years
P. S. Gilmore
The piano and vocal score for "Oh Let Me Dream of Former Years" with words and music by P.S. Gilmore.
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Oh, Oh Sallie
Eddie Leonard
The piano and vocal score for "Oh, Oh, Sallie" with words by Rogers and Frantzen. Music by Eddie Leonard.
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Oh: Sing to Me Those Dear Old Songs
Frederick Buckley and Charles Sturtevant
The piano and vocal score for "Oh: Sing to Me Those Dear Old Songs," with music by Frederick Buckley and lyrics by Charles Sturtevant. Dedicated to Charles G. Pond and sung by the Buckley Serenaders.
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Oh, You Devil
Ford Thompson Dabney
The piano score for "Oh, You Devil" by Ford T. Dabney as introduced by Aida Overton Walker, a Black comedian.
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Oh You Georgia Rose
Robert Allen Cole, Johnnie Waters, Shelton Brooks, and W. R. Williams
The score for "Oh You Georgia Rose" with words by Shelton Brooks, a Black composer, and W.R. Williams. Music by Bob Cole, a Black composer, and Johnnie Waters.
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Old Black Joe, 1903
Frederic Lewis and Stephen Collins Foster
The piano score for "Old Black Joe," originally by Stephen Collins Foster and arranged by Frederic Lewis.
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Old Black Joe, 1904, A
Charles Gimbel Jr. and Stephen Collins Foster
The piano score for "Old Black Joe," originally by Stephen Collins Foster and arranged by Charles Gimbel.
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Old Black Joe, 1904, B
F. W. Meacham and Stephen Collins Foster
The piano score for "Old Black Joe" originally by Stephen Collins Foster. Arranged by F.W. Meacham.
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Old Black Joe, 1905
Edward Dyson and Stephen Collins Foster
Transcription with variations. E.G. Snelling was one of the pseudonyms of composer Edward Dyson. Originally by Stephen Collins Foster.
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Old Black Joe: A Transcription on Foster's Celebrated Theme
Louis A. Drumheller and Stephen Collins Foster
A transcription on Stephen Collins Foster's theme by Louis A. Drumheller.
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Old Fashioned Love
Cecil Mack and Jimmie Johnson
The piano score for "Old Fashioned Love" from "Runnin' Wild" by Cecil Mack, a Black composer, and Jimmie Johnson.
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Old Handkerchief Head
Christopher M. Smith and J. Timothy Brymn
The piano and vocal score for "Old Handkerchief Head," by Chris Smith, a Black songwriter, and James Timothy Brymn, a Black band leader.
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Onaway! Awake, Beloved!
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The tenor vocal score for "Onaway! Awake, Beloved!" from "Hiawatha's Wedding Feast." Music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black composer. Lyrics are from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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On the 'Gin 'Gin 'Ginny Shore
Walter Donaldson and Edgar Leslie
The piano and vocal score for "On the 'Gin 'Gin 'Ginny Shore" with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Edgar Leslie.
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On the Old Front Porch
Bobby Heath and Arthur Lange
The piano and vocal score for "On the Old Front Porch" with music by Arthur Lange and lyrics by Bobby Heath.
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Peaceful are the Night Winds Sighing
Louis V.H. Crosby
The piano and vocal score for "Peaceful are the Night Winds Sighing" composed by Louis V.H. Crosby. Duet sung at the concerts of the Harmoneons and Washington Euterpeans.
