Free Sheet Music Downloads Celebrating Black Composers

Free Sheet Music Celebrating Black Composers

In our continued support of #BlackLivesMatter, we are featuring sheet music downloads by Black composers all June and July long.

Before arranging these songs, we spent time learning about the impact Black composers like Francis Johnson had on our history, as well as, the origin stories behind some of these compositions. We are delighted to share a little of what we read, and encourage those interested to learn along with us. You can find Free Sheet Music Downloads for Chant, Come By Here, Love Will Find A Way, Philadelphia Gray's Quick Step, and Shosholoza below!

Chant

You may recognize the melody from Chant as the spiritual song, Nobody Knows the Trouble I Seen.

This song is a moving tribute highlighting the way Black composers honored their heritage, keeping alive the memories of their ancestors and their plight.

The harmonic structure of the spiritual by Clarence Cameron White adds weight and complexity with dissonant chords and melancholy string arrangements.

Chant is arranged in the key of F Major and includes solfege.

Come By Here

You may know Come By Here as "Kumbaya," but did you ever wonder where it came from?

Reading suggests Come By Yuh or Yah, a Gullah word meaning "here," is the phrase that morphed into Kumbaya over time. Despite common misconceptions, "Kum ba yah" are not African language words. This song is most likely an African American spiritual which originated somewhere in the American south, then traveled all over the world.

Come By Here is truly a global folksong.

Come By Here is arranged in the Key of C Major and includes Lyrics + Solfege. This version of Come By Here is fun, syncopated and should be played at a lively tempo.

Love Will Find A Way

Sing and play along to Love Will Find A Way from the Broadway musical, Shuffle Along. Shuffle Along was the first Broadway musical that prominently featured syncopated jazz music.

The show also contributed to the desegregation of theaters in the 1920s, giving many black actors their first chance to appear on Broadway.

Love Will Find A Way sheet music is arranged in Eb Major and includes lyrics & solfege.

Philadelphia Gray's Quick Step

Philadelphia Gray's Quick Step was written by American musician and prolific composer, Francis Johnson during the Antebellum period.

This style of song is reminiscent of jug band and string band music, which has become the sounds of modern folk and bluegrass. Philadelphia Gray's Quick Step is arranged in the key of F major and includes solfege.

Francis Johnson was the first Black composer to have his works published as sheet music and to participate in racially integrated public concerts in the United States.

Francis Johnson led the first American musical ensemble to present concerts abroad, and he introduced the promenade concert style to America. (Source)

Shosholoza

Shosholoza began as a folk song for the gold and diamond miners traveling back and forth between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The song Shosholoza features a repeating rhythmic pattern known as ostinato that is notated on the bottom of each sheet music page.

Shosholoza is a song form known as call & response. After the initial measure, the call and response will coincide every 4th measure.

Listen to the harmony created when sung together!

We Shall Overcome

We Shall Overcome, which the US Library of Congress named, “The Most Powerful Song of the Twentieth Century” was the unofficial anthem of the African American Civil Rights Movement.

It was also the subject of an intense copyright dispute. In January 2018, author Isaias Gamboa and the We Shall Overcome Foundation won a class-action lawsuit releasing it to public domain. “Its spiritual strength has now been unshackled so that its full power may be used to strengthen those fearless warriors who fight for justice, equality and freedom against the forces of evil.”

Research reveals the song was based on the hymn “If My Jesus Wills,” by Louise Shropshire and was later adapted by Zilphia Horton and Pete Seeger. The song features “short, simple lyrics” and “may be some of the most influential words in the English language,” adds the LOC. This version is in the key of C major and uses mostly diatonic harmony and implements a secondary dominant chord to give the song trajectory. You can listen to the Classical Roots Community Mass Choir sing a medley of “If My Jesus Wills/We Shall Overcome” here. (Source)

Play and sing along to We Shall Overcome on the Ukulele, includes Ukulele tab + lyrics.