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Biographical dictionaries, biographical encyclopedias, and bibliographies are excellent sources for names of Black composers. These resources have call numbers that begin with ML (Literature on Music), and include information about musical genres, repertoire lists, specific instrumentation, time periods, and more.
The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog, and can be used in the Performing Arts Reading Room. You can also search for them in your local institution's holdings or request inter-library loans.
International Dictionary of Black Composers by 
Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians by 
Fifteen Black American Composers: A Bibliography of Their Works by An Annotated Catalog of Composers of African Ancestry by 
Bibliography of Black Music by Music by Black Women Composers by 
Black Classical Musicians and Composers, 1500-2000 by Biographies of Black composers and songwriters: a supplementary textbook by 
Black Women in American Bands and Orchestras (2nd edition) by Opera: Black/Brown Composers by 
String Music of Black Composers by 
Keyboard Music of Black Composers by 
Choral Music by African-American Composers by 
Piano Music by Black Women Composers by 
An Index to African-American Spirituals for the Solo Voice by 
Brass Music of Black Composers by 
Woodwind Music of Black Composers by Concert Band Music by African-American Composers, 1927-1998 by 
Black Music in the Harlem Renaissance by 
