LibGuides: Finding Individual Songs: Finding Spirituals

Introduction

This page explains how to search for spirituals using the library catalog. The box below includes general search tips, information about song titles, and recommended resources so that you can do some searching on your own. If you don't know where to start and want to see a list of printed music collections and song titles, see the box at the bottom of the page.

Search Tips for Spirituals

Conducting a keyword search in the library catalog using a song's title or arranger is always a great place to start.
- Use the "Resource Type" filter on the left-hand side of the screen to limit your results to "Scores" and/or "Recordings."
You can also use the advanced search option to search by subject.
- Try searching "Spirituals (Songs)" or "African American spirituals" and limit your results to "Scores" and/or "Recordings."
- Remember to always take a look at the topics listed in the catalog record to get hints for searching!

More often than not, individual songs will be found within a larger collection. Be sure to navigate to the "Contents" section of the item's record to see if it contains the song that you're looking for.

To browse for scores in person, check out call numbers M1670 (Collections) and M1671 (Separate Works) to find a majority of our collection of spirituals.

Because the performance of spirituals originated as an oral tradition, song titles can vary greatly due to the comprehension of the arranger, which is influenced by things like dialect, geography, preferred form, and more.

Example: "The Blind Man Stood On The Road and Cried" has alternate titles, including (but not limited to):

"De blin' man stood on de road an' cried"
"Blind Man (sat by the road and he cried)"

If you run into issues locating a score in our collection, it is important to search multiple versions of the title.

The following are books at MPAL that may be beneficial for identifying specific titles and arrangers to search for, along with providing historical context to inform your performance.

Spirituals by Kathleen A. Abromeit; Music Library Association Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: Reference Non-circulating ; ML3556 .A27S6 2015
Annotated bibliography of reference works, historical studies, works about composers/performers, educational resources, and other works related to the research and performance of spirituals. Helpful for identifying collections of spirituals and research materials
So You Want to Sing Spirituals by Randye Jones
Call Number: ML3556 .J67 2019
Collection of essays devoted to providing a complete survey of what it means to sing spirituals. Contributed chapters address elements of collaborative piano, studio teaching, choral arrangements, voice science, and vocal health as they apply to the performance of spirituals. Titles of spirituals are included throughout the essays.
An Index to African-American Spirituals for the Solo Voice by Kathleen A. Abromeit
Call Number: Reference Non-circulating ; ML128.S4 A27
Includes a title index, first line index, and alternate title index. Helpful for identifying spirituals using known information.
R.Nathaniel Dett: His Life and Works (1882-1943) by Vivian Flagg McBrier
Call Number: ML410.D375 M22
Biography of Nathaniel Dett, a prominent arranger of spirituals. Includes biographical information and a list of both published and unpublished works. If you know the name of an arranger of spirituals, it may be useful to reference biographies in order to compile a list of song titles to perform/study.

The following is a list of notable collections that can be found at MPAL. See the individual item's record for a list of spirituals included in the collection. To see more collections, consult the library catalog.