By the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, a number of African American musicians and bandleaders had garnered the attention of the music-going public, and names such as Eubie Blake and Scott Joplin remain familiar to this very day. This rather fine online collection offered by the Library of Congress's Performing Arts division brings together a number of so-called "stock" arrangements...

Written and produced by Tom Voegli, and produced by Minnesota Public Radio in association with the San Francisco Symphony and its music director, Michael Tilson Thomas, this lovely 13-part radio series "tells the story of the distinctly American music that grew along with the country." Part of this essential story is the music of such iconoclastic tradition-breaking composers as Charles Ives,...

Since 1954, the International Mozarteum Foundation has been steadily editing the complete works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and their critical editions have become essential items for musicians and musicologists. This month, they placed the fruits of their collective labors online on this site, and it is truly a glorious achievement. Currently, there are 25,734 pages of music and 8,441 pages of...

Inspired by a love of music (and a great respect and admiration for Jimi Hendrix), Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen set out to create the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. In an innovative and creative building design by noted architect Frank Gehry, Allen showcases some of the over 80,000 items related to the history of music over the past century. On the site, visitors will find a number...

This remarkable collection from the American Memory Project at the Library of Congress brings together an amazing set of traditional fiddle tunes performed by Henry Reed of Glen Lyn, Virginia. The folklorist Alan Jabbour recorded Lyn in 1966 and 1967, and the tunes here "represent the music and evoke the history and spirit of Virginia's Appalachian frontier." The collection contains 184 original...

The Petrucci Music Library is an essential database for musicians, music librarians and teachers, as well as lovers of classical music. The online collection shares public domain music via a searchable interface. On the main page, visitors may search for works by composer (or composer's nationality), genre, time period, or melody. Searching by melody is particularly interesting, as it launches an...

Perhaps best known for his dramatic "Symphonie Fantastique," Hector Berlioz was the preeminent romantic French composer of the 19th century. Created and maintained by Monir Tayeb and Michael Austin, this Web site brings together an impressive amount of information about Berlioz, including many of his writings, compositions, and reviews (as he was a well-known critic). Music students and...

Leonard Bernstein was one of America's foremost conductors and champions of classical music in the 20th century, along with composing such works as West Side Story, Candide, and his Mass. Developed and maintained by the Leonard Bernstein Society, this site contains a wealth of printed interviews, musical excerpts, and other ephemera that will be of great interest to those with a passion for...

Maintained by Sugi Sorensen, this Web site is dedicated to the life and work of Sergi Prokofiev, one of the most accomplished composers and pianists of the 20th century. New visitors to the site will want to take a look at the detailed biography of Prokofiev provided here, along with a timeline that highlights some key moments in his life. The site also features a complete list of his works by...

Perhaps the most "English" of all 20th century English composers, Ralph Vaughan Williams was without a doubt one of the most celebrated composers of his era, contributing numerous symphonies, choral works, and stage music to the overall repertoire of classical music. The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society Web site is dedicated to promoting the music of Vaughan Williams, along with providing a great...