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African American Music Collection

 Collection
Identifier: SPC-2020-007

Scope and Contents

The African American Music Collection (1871-1990; undated) contains two boxes of sheet music, event programs, magazines, booklets, postcards, photographs, and other material related to African American musicians, composers, arrangers, and musical groups. This collection is mostly comprised of sheet music that falls under the sacred music genre such as gospels and spirituals, but also includes music in the blues genres. Also included in this collection are a few flyers and programs for events featuring African American musicians, booklets and magazines regarding African American music, and postcards and photographs of African American musicians and musical groups. This collection is arranged alphabetically by event title, name of arranger or composer, publication title, or event venue.

Dates

  • 1871-1990; undated
  • Majority of material found within 1890-1945

Conditions Governing Access

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Extent

2 boxes

0.86 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Yiddish

French

Additional Description

Abstract

This collection contains sheet music, event programs, magazines, booklets, postcards, photographs, and other material related to African American musicians, composers, arrangers, and musical groups. This collection is mostly comprised of sheet music that falls under the sacred music genre such as gospels and spirituals, but also includes music in the blues genres. Also included in this collection are a few flyers and programs for events featuring African American musicians, booklets and magazines regarding African American music, and postcards and photographs of African American musicians and musical groups.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into six series mainly based on genre or item type. Materials within each folder are arranged chronologically.

African American Music Collection Series Titles

  1. Sheet Music, 1894-1976
  2. Music Books, 1921-1957
  3. Ephemera, 1893-1973, undated
  4. Singing and Performance Groups, 1871-1958, undated
  5. Periodicals, 1990
  6. LP Records, 1942 1952

Sacred Music Collection

This collection is part the Sacred Music Collection, also known as the Georgia and Nolan Payton Archive of Sacred Music, and is associated with the African Diaspora of Sacred Music and Musicians (ADSMM) Program. The Sacred Music Collection is made up of smaller collections that contain various primary source materials, such as sheet music, books, periodicals, photographs, audio visual materials, manuscripts, and more. ADSMM’s mission is to facilitate research, preserve, and make accessible collections documenting the lives of important figures within the sacred music community as well as its influence primarily within the Los Angeles Black community.

Interested in accessing other Sacred Music collections? If you would like to view these materials in-person, please make an appointment through the Gerth Archives and Special Collections website. If you would like to view these materials online, please visit the the Sacred Music Digital Collections Database website. Please keep in mind that some of the materials in our archival collections are still in the process of being digitized and are therefore not yet available to the public.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Inventory of the African American Music Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Karen Clemons; updated by Lindsay Anderson, 2022
Date
2021-04
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2021-10-22: Added more agent links and subject headings; Edited file titles; Edited instance types to include "Sheet Music"; Organized files into series. Edited by Lindsay Anderson.

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections Repository

https://libguides.csudh.edu/archives-home
Contact:
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson CA 90747
310-243-3895

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