LibGuides: Diversity in Classical Music: Indigenous

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Indigenous Composers

Much of the music by indigenous composers is unpublished, but we are actively looking to find more works and add them to the library! Here are just a few indigenous composers with content you can access through the library and the open web.

Louis W. Ballard (1931-2007)

Listen to recordings in Naxos
Watch our YouTube playlist of selected works
Watch a short video about his ballet, Four Moons

Brent Michael Davids (b. 1959):

See scores and recordings in the library
See his website for selected recordings and score samples

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (b. 1968):

See scores and recordings in the library
See his website for recordings of some works
View a perusal score of his choral work, We Are the Storm

Raven Chacon (b. 1977):

See a score in the library
See his website for selected scores and recordings.
Listen to recordings in Naxos

Discover More Composers

Use the resources below to discover additional Indigenous composers. Then, search their name in our catalog to find their music in the library.

If we don't own a piece you want, search for it in WorldCat and click "ILL this with ILLiad" to borrow a copy from another library. Or, contact Tracey Rudnick (rudnick@hartford.edu, 860.768.4404) to suggest we buy a copy.

Repertoire Guides Online

Various Instrumentation

The Composers Equity Project
List of women, gender non-conforming, and ALAANA composers.
Institute for Composer Diversity
Research resources plus databases of composers and works searchable by genre, ensemble, and composers' demographic information.

Specific Instruments/Groups

Catalog of Trumpet Works by Gender-Marginalized People and/or Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Color
An extensive list of works for trumpet solo and in ensemble. Use the tabs at the top to navigate between different sections.
No Broken Links
Solo and chamber repertoire for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and horn. Focuses on work by BIPOC, women, transgender, & gender non-conforming individuals.
A Seat at the Piano
Piano works from over 200 composers of diverse backgrounds and identities. Searchable by nationality and other keywords.
Wind Repertory Project
A comprehensive database of wind literature. Browse by solo instrument, ensemble, or composer category.

Research

Books (selections)

Most books discuss indigenous/native peoples' folk music, rather than their participation in classical music (the focus of this guide). Please tell us if you know of more books on this topic!

Encyclopedia of Native American Music of North America by Elaine Keillor, Timothy Archambault, John M. H. Kelly
Call Number: ML3557 K45 E5 2013 [Allen shelves]
Documents the varied musical practices among North America's First Peoples, historically and in the modern context. Includes entries on classical music performers and composers.
Sound Relations by Jessica Bissett Perea
Call Number: ML3557 P47 2021 [Allen shelves]
Delves into Inuit musical life in Alaska to register the significance of sound as integral to self-determination and sovereignty.

Find more books about Indigenous/Native American people in music

Click to see the newest Indigenous studies books in the Allen Library

Search subjects in the catalog:
Note in most cases the official subject term from the Library of Congress is still "Indian" rather than Native American or Indigenous.
Indian musicians
Indians of North America > Music
Native peoples > Music

Online Resources

American Indigenous Music (Harvard guide)
A guide to resources for appreciating and research native music. Some resources are restricted to Harvard users.

Grove/Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Music encyclopedia with works lists and citations. Search a particular region, tribe, or person's name, or see Native American music or Canadian First Peoples
Oxford Bibliographies - Music This link opens in a new window
Citation lists on many music subjects and people. Search a particular region, tribe, for example, Indigenous Musics of the Arctic.

Journals (selections)

The American Indian Quarterly
Online only.
Native American and Indigenous Studies
Online only. Full-text delay: 3 years.

Find more articles about indigenous/native people in music

Search one of the following databases for specific names, work titles, tribes, or keywords such as indigenous, Native American, tribal, etc. Note that older research may use outdated terms such as Indian.

Music Index Online This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 700 music journals.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 400 music journals.
RILM This link opens in a new window
Citations for scholarly music and dance books, articles, dissertations, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from almost 100 scholarly music, dance, and theatre journals, plus other subjects. Excludes recent years.

Support an Organization

Organizations

Native American Composers Apprentice Project (NACAP)
Dedicated to teaching students on the Navajo and Hopi Reservations to compose concert music.