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is committed to conscious editing of Libraries’ generated descriptive terminology that may be offensive, harmful, or out of date.
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At the Ball, That's All
John Leubrie Hill
The piano and vocal score of "At the Ball, That's All" composed by John Leubrie Hill, a Black songwriter.
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At the Cotton Gin
Florence Beatrice Smith Price
The piano score for "At the Cotton Gin," composed by Florence B. Price, Black composer.
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At the Dixie Military Ball
Harry Carroll and Ballard MacDonald
The piano and vocal score for "At the Dixie Military Ball" with words by Ballard MacDonald and music by Harry Carroll.
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At the End of the Sunset Trail
Maceo Pinkard and Calvin De Voll
The piano and vocal score for "At the End of the Sunset Trail" with music by Maceo Pinkard, a Black songwriter, and lyrics by Calvin DeVoll.
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Back to the Woods
Jean Schwartz, Lew Dockstader, and William Jerome
The piano and vocal score for "Back to the Woods" with lyrics by William Jerome and music by Jean Schwartz.
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Back Up!: A Dark Brown Romance
Jo King
The piano and vocal score for "Back Up!" with lyrics and music by Jo King.
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Ballin' the Jack
Chris Smith and James Reese Europe
The piano score for "Ballin' the Jack," a foxtrot with music by James Reese Europe, a Black band leader, and Chris Smith, a Black songwriter.
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Bandana Days
Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle
The piano and vocal score for "Bandana Days" from Shuffle Along. Words and music are by Noble Sissle, a Black composer and lyricist, and James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, a Black pianist and composer.
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Ben Bolt, 1848, A
Nelson Kneass and Thomas Dunn English
The piano and vocal score for "Ben Bolt" with music by Nelson Kneass. The song is based on the poem originally written by Thomas Dunn English in 1842.
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Ben Bolt, 1848, B
Nelson Kneass and Thomas Dunn English
The piano and vocal score for "Ben Bolt" with music by Nelson Kneass. The song is based on the poem originally written by Thomas Dunn English in 1842.
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Ben Bolt, 1850
Nelson Kneass and Thomas Dunn English
The piano and vocal score for "Ben Bolt" with music by Nelson Kneass. The song is based on the poem originally written by Thomas Dunn English in 1842.
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Ben Bolt, 1870
Nelson Kneass and Thomas Dunn English
The piano and vocal score for "Ben Bolt" with music by Nelson Kneass. This score was written for the bass or alto voice. The song is based on the poem originally written by Thomas Dunn English in 1842.
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Big Indian Chief
Robert Allen Cole and John Rosamond Johnson
The piano and vocal score for "Big Indian Chief" with lyrics by Robert Allen Cole, a Black lyricist, and music by John Rosamond Johnson, a Black composer. The cover declares this version was "written especially for the 16th annual production of the Mask and Wig Club of the University of Pennsylvania." This score uses outdated terminology to refer to indigenous peoples.
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Big Lady Moon
Kathleen Easmon and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
The piano and vocal score for "Big Lady Moon" based on the poem by Sierra Leonean poet Kathleen Easmon. The music was composed by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a Black composer. "Big Lady Moon" was part of multiple songs created by Easmon and Coleridge-Taylor known as the "Five Fair Ballads."
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Birmingham Bertha
Harry Akst and Grant Clarke
The piano and vocal score for "Birmingham Bertha" from On with the Show. Lyrics by Grant Clarke and music by Harry Akst.
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Black Cinderella Cake Walk
Florence Wood
The piano score for "Black Cinderella Cake Walk" composed by Florence Wood.
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Black Feather Two Step
Irene M. Giblin-O'Brien
The piano score for "Black Feather Two Step," composed by Irene M. Giblin-O'Brien.
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Boatman's Dance
Daniel Decatur Emmett
The piano score for "Boatman's Dance," a minstrel song sung by the Virginia Minstrels. The Virginia Minstrels, founded by Daniel Emmett, was one of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition.
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Bon Bon Buddy: The Chocolate Drop
Alexander Claude Rogers and Will Marion Cook
The piano and vocal score for "Bon Bon Buddy (The Chocolate Drop), with lyrics by Alexander C. Rogers, a Black lyricist and entertainer, and music by Will Marion Cook, a Black composer.
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Brainard's Ragtime Collection: Being a Collection of Characteristic Two-Steps, Cake Walks, Plantation Dances, Etc.
S. Brainard Sons
A series of piano scores for two-steps, cake walks, plantation dances, and other pieces of ragtime music.
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Candle Lightin' Time
Paul Lawrence Dunbar and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a Black composer. Paul Lawrence Dunbar was a Black poet and lyricist.
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Carolina Lullaby
Louis J. Panella and Walter Hirsch
Words and music by Louis Panella and Walter Hirsch, writer of "Carolina Sunshine." Composed for voice and piano.
