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Use this page to learn how to find music with composer or call number class searches. The Library of Congress Music Classification Schedule determines call numbers by instrumentation and composer. Call numbers for printed music begin with M (Music).
Search by composer in the Library of Congress Online Catalog or Performing Arts Reading Room card catalog (only available on site). Then, determine if that composer wrote music for the instrumentation you seek.
The example search results below for individual composers link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog:
For suggested resources available in the Music Division for you to find names of Black composers, go to the Resources for Finding Composers section of this guide.
Look for music composed by George Walker (1922-2018), the first African American composer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
Search results for George Walker include individual published scores, manuscripts from Library of Congress commissions, and his autobiography, such as:
If you have a particular instrumentation in mind, you can search the Library of Congress Online Catalog in Browse Mode by call number class.
Examples of call number classes include:
For more information about searching by call numbers, Ask a Librarian or consult the Class M outline [PDF].
Useful Library of Congress Subject Headings to find biographies, autobiographies, bibliographies, sound recordings, and other reference sources include:
These subject headings are not used in the catalog records of individual musical scores.