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is committed to conscious editing of Libraries’ generated descriptive terminology that may be offensive, harmful, or out of date.
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Struttin' Jim
Bob Carleton and Cliff Dixon
Vocal and piano score for the song "Struttin' Jim" with music by Bob Carleton and lyrics by Cliff Dixon.
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Sugar Foot Stomp
Joseph Nathan Oliver
An Elmer Schoebel Arrangement. Written by Joe Oliver, also known as Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver, who was a Black American jazz musician noted for mentoring Louis Armstrong.
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Susan Rayne
E. P. Christy
The piano and vocal score for "Susan Rayne" arranged by E.P. Christy. Sung by the Christy Minstrels.
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Sweet Hawaiian Moonlight and You Can Have It, I Don't Want It
Henri F. Klickmann
A double number containing "Sweet Hawaiian Moonlight," a valse pathetique by F. Henri Klickmann, and "You Can Have It, I Don't Want It," a jazz foxtrot by Hill, Williams and Piron.
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Swing Along!
Will Marion Cook and Gaston Borch
A four-part mixed chorus score for "Swing Along!" with lyrics and music by Will Marion Cook, a Black composer, and arranged by Gaston Borch.
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Tar Babies
Charles Leslie Johnson
The piano score for "Tar Babies" by Charles L. Johnson, the composer of "Iola" and "Dill Pickles."
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That'll be about all for you
Ned Wayburn
The score for "That'll be about all for you" by Ned Wayburn.
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That Precious Little Thing Called Love
Christopher M. Smith and Cecil Mack
The piano and vocal score for "That Precious Little Thing Called Love," with lyrics and music by Cecil Mack, a Black songwriter, and Chris Smith, a Black songwriter.
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That's What's the Matter with Hannah
J. H. Ross and S. S. Steele
The piano and vocal score for "That's What's the Matter with Hannah" with music by J.H. Ross and lyrics by S.S. Steele. Song and chorus as sung by J.L. Murphy of Cotton, Murphy and Smith's Minstrels.
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The 20th Century Rag
Maurice Abrahams, Grant Clarke, and Edgar Leslie
The piano and vocal score for "The 20th Century Rag" with music by Maurice Abrahams and lyrics by Grant Clarke and Edgar Leslie.
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The Banjo Player
Alice Barnett and F. M.
The piano and vocal score for "The Banjo Player" with music by Alice Barnett and the lyrics by "F.M."
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The Big Sunflower
Billy Emerson
The piano and vocal score for "The Big Sunflower" as sung by Billy Emerson.
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The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue
Harry Clifton
The score for "The Dark Girl Dressed in Blue" by Harry Clifton.
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The Darkies' Dream
G. L. Lansing and Emma R. Steiner
The piano score for "The Darkies' Dream," composed by G.L. Lansing and arranged by Emma R. Steiner.
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The Dixie Kid
Adam Geibel and Richard Henry Buck
Plantation song and chorus. Words by Richard Henry Buck. Music by Adam Geibel.
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The Dying Child
Louis V.H. Crosby and Theodore A. Gould
From A Collection of Songs and Ballads Composed with a Piano Accompaniment. "Music composed and respectfully dedicated to Mrs. Eliza Chandler of Springfield, Mass."
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The Dying Girl
John Hill Hewitt
The score for "The Dying Girl" by John H. Hewitt. A note at the beginning says the music was suggested by the death of Miss Helen Holmead of Washington City on May 2, 1846.
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The Harmonica Player
David W. Guion
From "Alley Tunes: Three Scenes From The South" for the piano by David W. Guion.
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The Hazel Dell
George F. Root
Sung by Wood's Minstrels of New York. Composed by George Frederick Root, who chose to go by the pseudonym G. Friedrich Wurzel (Wurzel is German for "root") to capitalize on the popularity of other German composers.
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The Island of Gardens
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall
The piano and vocal score for "The Island of Gardens" from "Songs of Sun and Shade," the poem by Marguerite Radclyffe-Hall. Composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black composer.
