William Levi Dawson

William L. Dawson’s work is to be featured within the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra’s “INSPIRE” concert March 19^th at 7:30 PM in Callaway Auditorium, LaGrange, GA. The LSO will perform Negro Folk Symphony composed by Dawson. Although this symphony was written in the 1930’s it has spent decades in obscurity and is now happily being rediscovered and reappreciated.

An Inspiration

William Levi Dawson (1899-1990) had a long life filled with music. He was a composer, professor, musicologist, and director of the illustrious Tuskegee University Choir. (Tuskegee University was called Tuskegee Institute at that time.)

Earlier Mr. Dawson had attended Tuskegee Institute as a student and then furthered his musical education at the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. While there, he also worked as a trombonist with the Civic Orchestra. In the early 1930’s he moved back to Alabama and began leading the School of Music at Tuskeegee University. During his tenure there, he furthered their University’s “Golden Voices” Choir with his direction, musical arrangements and compositions to an extent that they became internationally famous. Here is a 2018 recording of this Choir singing My Lord, What a Mourning by William L. Dawson

Dawson achieved many things during his lifetime. He was a consultant, a mentor, and an inspiration. He composed many works, but only one symphony – Negro Folk Symphony 1935 (rev. 1952). He used the term “Negro” in his title with dignity and esteem for his heritage.  Although he lived into the 1990’s as population views and word preferences changed, he purposefully chose to keep his original title.

A Significant Work

William Dawson was about 35 years old when his Negro Folk Symphony was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra. The composition consists of three movements:

I. The Bond of Africa
II. Hope in the Night
III. O Let Me Shine

In the original concert notes, also written by Dawson, he states, “The themes are taken from what are popularly known as Negro Spirituals.” This referred mainly to the third movement. The work goes much beyond his description and has been touted as “a persuasive musical bridge between the Negro Folk and the Symphony.”

The Philadelphia Orchestra, under the direction of Leopold Stokowski was the first to perform this symphony at Carnegie Hall in November of 1934. The musical composition was immediately admired. There were four initial performances with a national radio broadcast by CBS, which brought glowing reviews. “This music has dramatic feeling, a racial sensuousness and directness of melodic speech.”  “… the most distinctive and promising American symphonic proclamation which has so far been achieved.”