WILLIAM LEVI DAWSON
Name: William Levi Dawson
Born: 26 September 1899
Died: 2 May 1990
William Levi Dawson (September 26, 1899, Anniston, Alabama – May 2 , 1990,
Montgomery, Alabama) was an African-American composer, choir director and
professor.
A graduate of the Horner Institute of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Music,
William Dawson later studied at the Chicago Musical College with professor Felix
Borowski, and then at the American Conservatory of Music where he received his
masters degree. Early in his career he served as a trombonist both with the
Redpath Chautauqua and the Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra. His teaching career
began in the Kansas City public school system, which was later followed by a
tenure with the Tuskegee Institute from 1931–1956. During this period, it was he
who appointed a large number of faculty members that later became well known for
their work in the field. Additionally, Dawson also developed the Tuskegee
Institute Choir into an internationally renowned ensemble; they were invited to
sing at New York City's Radio City Music Hall in 1932 for a week of six daily
performances.
As a composer, Dawson began at a young age, and it was early on in his
compositional career that his Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano was performed by
the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Besides chamber music, he is also known for
his contributions to both orchestral and choral literature. His best known works
are arrangements and variations on spirituals; his Negro Folk Symphony of 1934
garnered a great deal of attention at its world premier, under the direction of
Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The symphony was later
revised in 1952 with greater African rhythms inspired by the composers trip to
West Africa. The composition was — the composer conveyed — an attempt to convey
the missing elements that were lost when Africans came into bondage outside
their homeland. In creating this work, Dawson was influenced by the
nationalistic views of Dvořák. Widely performed, his most popular spirituals
include "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel", "Jesus Walked the Lonesome Valley", "Talk about
a Child That Do Love Jesus" and "King Jesus Is a-Listening". Dawson was elected
to and initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha
Sinfonia music fraternity in 1977.
In honor of Dawson's impact on male choral music, on February 25, 1968 he was
awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.
Beginning in 1964, this award "Established to bring a declaration of
appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution
to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may
find valid expression."
Dawson's arrangements of traditional African-American spirituals are widely
published in the United States and are regularly performed by school, college
and community choral ensembles.
Name: William Levi Dawson
Born: 26 September 1899
Died: 2 May 1990
William Levi Dawson (September 26, 1899, Anniston, Alabama – May 2 , 1990,
Montgomery, Alabama) was an African-American composer, choir director and
professor.
A graduate of the Horner Institute of Fine Arts with a Bachelor of Music,
William Dawson later studied at the Chicago Musical College with professor Felix
Borowski, and then at the American Conservatory of Music where he received his
masters degree. Early in his career he served as a trombonist both with the
Redpath Chautauqua and the Chicago Civic Symphony Orchestra. His teaching career
began in the Kansas City public school system, which was later followed by a
tenure with the Tuskegee Institute from 1931–1956. During this period, it was he
who appointed a large number of faculty members that later became well known for
their work in the field. Additionally, Dawson also developed the Tuskegee
Institute Choir into an internationally renowned ensemble; they were invited to
sing at New York City's Radio City Music Hall in 1932 for a week of six daily
performances.
As a composer, Dawson began at a young age, and it was early on in his
compositional career that his Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano was performed by
the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. Besides chamber music, he is also known for
his contributions to both orchestral and choral literature. His best known works
are arrangements and variations on spirituals; his Negro Folk Symphony of 1934
garnered a great deal of attention at its world premier, under the direction of
Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra. The symphony was later
revised in 1952 with greater African rhythms inspired by the composers trip to
West Africa. The composition was — the composer conveyed — an attempt to convey
the missing elements that were lost when Africans came into bondage outside
their homeland. In creating this work, Dawson was influenced by the
nationalistic views of Dvořák. Widely performed, his most popular spirituals
include "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel", "Jesus Walked the Lonesome Valley", "Talk about
a Child That Do Love Jesus" and "King Jesus Is a-Listening". Dawson was elected
to and initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha Chapter of Phi Mu Alpha
Sinfonia music fraternity in 1977.
In honor of Dawson's impact on male choral music, on February 25, 1968 he was
awarded the prestigious University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.
Beginning in 1964, this award "Established to bring a declaration of
appreciation to an individual each year that has made a significant contribution
to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may
find valid expression."
Dawson's arrangements of traditional African-American spirituals are widely
published in the United States and are regularly performed by school, college
and community choral ensembles.