Online Scores
Because of the move to online instruction, there are several places you can go to find scores by composers who are people of color or from non-western traditions.
- Classical Scores Library (Music Online) This link opens in a new windowThis library database has published scores from the medieval period to the present. There are several composers who are women included in the collections, but not as many as IMSLP. These scores are also searchable in Library Search, just like our printed scores. See direction #2 and the box at the bottom of the page. You will also notice the limiter on the left-hand side for resources "Available Online." This means that scores are available through Classical Scores Library. Treat all of these scores as print scores. The publication information should be available in the upper hand corners of the PDF and or in the sidebar to the right.
- IMSLP (International Music Score Library Project)The International Music Score Library Project has scans and original files of hundreds of thousands of scores available for free online. You can search by people by nationality. Pay attention to the publication information provided below the files.
- CPDL (Choral Public Domain LibraryThe Choral Public Domain Library has scans and original files of tens of thousands of choral works for free online. There is a page dedicated to composers grouped by nationality. These scores are often created by editors of CPDL, so they might have inconsistent publishing information. Be careful when making your citations.
1. Start With a Known Composer or Work
While there are anthologies of composers by various ethnicities and genders, most of the scores in the Performing Arts Collection are organized by genre, and then by composer. Composers of all kinds are mixed in together (though they are dominated by dead white men [thanks musical canon! {eye roll}]), and subject headings generally do not list any demographic information about the composer. In that case, it is best to start with someone that you are searching for. Suggested lists can be found at the bottom of this page.
2. Limit Your Search to Scores:
In Library Search (primo.rowan.edu), there are options to limit your search by format, either before or after searching. This will weed out all of the books, recordings, articles, and reference entries about your composer or piece.
You can use limiters on the side of the search results (here I just searched for "Amy Beach"):
Or you can start in the advanced search, by limiting to scores only:
You can also use the search box below:
3. Find your score in the Performing Arts Collection (PAC)
Every score in the PAC will be assigned a call number, which functions like an address for finding it on the shelf. At Campbell Library, and at most university libraries, we use the Library of Congress Classification System. It can be tough to understand these numbers, but here is a helpful website that gives you a brief overview: https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit03/libraries03_04.phtml
The call number can be found in each record for a physical item in Library Search, either in the brief record displayed while searching:
Or twice in the full record:
Call numbers are "read" left to right on each individual shelf in a unit. The shelves are read top to bottom. When you have reached the bottom, then you move to the right to the next unit. A collection of units is called a "range," and there are helpful guides to tell you which call numbers can be found in each range. For example, this Amy Beach score would be found in the range below, because M 512 falls between M 219 and M 557 (and it's a quintet!)
Sources for Discovering Diverse Repertoire
- Institute for Composer DiversityThe Composer Diversity Database allows users to discover almost 4000 composers from underrepresented groups. You can search by composer name, living or deceased, specifically for women or non-binary composers, common large and small ensemble genres, racial, ethnic, or cultural demographics, and by location (city, state, and country).
The Works Diversity Database, featuring wind band and orchestral catalogs created by Christian Michael Folk and the Kassia Art Song catalog compiled by Logan Contreras, allows users to search for individual compositions with numerous search filters from among over 1,600 art songs by women as well as almost 1,400 works for large and small wind ensembles and over 11,000 orchestral works by underrepresented composers. Filters include various ensemble genres, duration, and grade level, as well as composer demographics and location, and the results include instrumentation (when known) and links for rental & purchase as well as audio & video.
The extensive Bibliographic Resources, compiled by Dr. Kendra Leonard, provides scholars with valuable lists of books and articles about women and non-binary composers, composers from underrepresented racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, and LGBTQIAA2+ composers. - ... And We Were Heard Project... And We Were Heard gives underrepresented composers a platform to have their music heard. Composers that submit works to … And We Were Heard are matched with top-notch
wind bands and engage in collaborative recording sessions. The resulting audio tracks are hosted on the site along with innovative ideas of how to support diverse voices in music. - Composers of Color Resource ProjectThis webpage houses public domain scores by composers of color. Analytical notes are being made available, while a Google Sheet summarizes music theory topics that can be taught using the repertoire. As a quick and manageable first step towards anti-racist music theory pedagogy, many of the scores on this site are readily adaptable to the classroom environment.
- Classical Scores Library (Music Online) This link opens in a new windowCollection of classical music scores and manuscripts for viewing online.
- Center for Black Music ResearchThe Center for Black Music Research's mission is to illuminate the significant role that black music plays in world culture by ...
* serving as a nexus for all who value black music,
* promoting scholarly thought and knowledge about black music, and
* providing a safe haven for the materials and information that document the black music experience across Africa and the diaspora.
- African American Music Reference (Music Online) This link opens in a new windowOnline encyclopedia of African American music.
- The Wind Repertoire ProjectThe Wind Repertory Project is a comprehensive database of wind literature, expanded by contributions of band directors/conductors, students, and wind band enthusiasts worldwide. Composers are categorized by specific nationality, but also by groups such as African American Composers, Female Composers, LatinX Composers, and LGBT Composers.
- No Broken LinksThe No Broken Links directories are a starting point for scholars, performers, composers, and teachers to discover solo and chamber repertoire by minority composers for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, and Horn. The directories focus specifically on the work of womxn, transgender & gender non-conforming individuals, and/or Black, Indigenous, or persons of color.
- Beyond Elijah Rock: The Non-Idiomatic Choral Music of Black ComposersThis website is a working list of the non-idiomatic choral music of black composers. Non-idiomatic, as it relates to black composers, refers to the original concert music that is not part of the traditional idiomatic canon associated with black musicians. That canon includes spirituals, gospel, jazz, hip-hop, and rap among others.
- String Literature by BIMOCViolinist Gabriela Diaz is updating this database on a weekly basis with contributions from musicians all over the world. This list builds upon the previous work of Rachel Barton Pine and Dr. Megan E. Hill and also includes works catalogued in the Living Black Composers Directory.