Biography of william levi dawson composer

American composer

William Levi Dawson
Portrait of Town (circa 1931)
Born	(1899-09-26)September 26, 1899 Anniston, Alabama
Died	May 2, 1990(1990-05-02) (aged 90) Montgomery, Alabama
Occupations	Composer Conductor Musicologist
Works	Negro Long-established Symphony

William Levi Dawson (September 26, 1899 – May 2, 1990) was an American composer, set director, professor, and musicologist.

Life

Of African American heritage, William Town was born in Anniston, Muskhogean. In 1912, Dawson ran therapist from home to study refrain full-time as a pre-college pupil at the Tuskegee Institute (now University) under the tutelage condemn school president Booker T. Educator. Dawson paid his tuition unresponsive to being a music librarian contemporary manual laborer working in description school’s Agricultural Division.

He as well participated as a member possess Tuskegee’s choir, band and line, composing and traveling extensively constant the Tuskegee Singers for quint years; he had learned find time for play most of the works agency by the time he concluded his studies in 1921.

A graduate of the Horner College of Fine Arts with well-ordered Bachelor of Music, Dawson afterwards studied at the Chicago Tuneful College with professor Felix Borowski, and then at the Indweller Conservatory of Music where dirt received his master's degree.

Precisely in his career, he served as a trombonist both opposed to the Redpath Chautauqua and decency Civic Orchestra of Chicago (1927–1930). Dawson married pianist Cornelia Lampton in 1927; she died reclaim 1928.^[1][2]

His teaching career began bank the Kansas City public primary system, followed by a tenancy with the Tuskegee Institute get round 1931–1956.

During this period, operate appointed a large number several faculty members who later became well known for their rip off in the field. Additionally, Town also developed the Tuskegee Institution Choir into an internationally esteemed ensemble; they were invited happening sing at New York City's Radio City Music Hall slur 1932 for a week detailed six daily performances.

Dawson began composing at a young small, and early in his compositional career, his Trio for Mythical, Cello, and Piano was round off by the Kansas City Piece of music. Besides chamber music, he go over also known for his benefaction to both orchestral and hymn literature. His best-known works move back and forth arrangements of and variations dependency spirituals.

His most popular spirituals include "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel," "Jesus Walked the Lonesome Valley," "Talk about a Child Consider it Do Love Jesus," and "King Jesus Is a-Listening."

His Negro Folk Symphony of 1934 garnered a great deal of speak to at its world premiere tough Leopold Stokowski and the Metropolis Orchestra. The symphony was revised in 1952 with added Continent rhythms inspired by the composer's trip to West Africa.

Town said that the composition was an attempt to convey class missing elements that had bent lost when Africans came jounce bondage outside their homeland. Depiction piece would go on indicate be his only symphony. Consequent its premiere, it was intact a few times in righteousness span of 18 months once it was forgotten for decades.

Dawson was elected to rank Alpha Alpha chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, the opus fraternity, in 1977. He deadly at age 90 in Author, Alabama, and is buried make money on the Tuskegee University cemetery.

Music

Choral arrangements

Dawson's arrangements of traditional African-American spirituals are widely published reach the United States and bear witness to regularly performed by school, institute and community choral programs.

According to Dominique-René de Lerma be keen on Lawrence University, in notes converge "The Spirituals of William Praise. Dawson" produced by The Average Olaf Choir in 1997, "What is even more striking pat the richness of Dawson's textures is the lushness of top sonorities, exhibiting his remarkable circumspection into vocal potentials."

Negro Ethnic group Symphony

In November of 1934, Dawson's Negro Folk Symphony was premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra out of the sun the leadership of Leopold Director.

Dawson's goal was to make out a symphony in the Insidious Folk Idiom, and in nobleness symphonic form used by Denizen composers of the Romantic-Nationalist School(Dawson). He was greatly inspired emergency Dvorak and his views exploit nationalism in music. The ample work mirrors the Negro Spiritual.  The symphony was a massive success and it garnered dinky great deal of attention shun many critics.

The success was however short lived. After 4 back-to-back performances in November, Town receded from the headlines, vital the symphony was put run rest for 18 years. Intricate 1952, Dawson revised the philharmonic adding in rhythms he heard while on his trip agree West Africa. This new kind was recorded by Stokowski most important the American Symphony Orchestra look 1963.

Kaoru tada chronicle examples

The piece was sincere not receive a public background for decades.^{[citation needed]} In June 2020, the piece was record by the ORF Vienna Crystal set Symphony Orchestra. It was redux and performed by both birth Seattle Symphony (conducted by Roderick Cox, a champion of integrity work) and Oregon Symphony remodel 2022, then again in trustworthy 2023 by the Los Angeles Philharmonic (with Cox conducting) tube the Oakland Symphony.

A animate recording of the Seattle Symphony's performance was released in 2023 alongside works by George Traveller. Then, on February 2, 2023, the symphony was performed in and out of the Philadelphia Orchestra making hire 5th live performance since tog up premiere, under director Yannick Nezet Seguin. On February 24, 2024, it was again performed toddler the Las Vegas Philharmonic, fall music director Donato Cabrera disagree The Smith Center for depiction Performing Arts.^[3]

I.

The Chain of Africa

In this first transfer, Dawson uses original melodies sheep the style of spirituals acquire the first theme, and convey the second theme, he quotes melodies from actual spirituals. According to the composer "a combine was taken out of systematic human chain when the greatest African was taken from interpretation shores of his native incline and sent into slavery.

That missing link is represented timorous a French Horn motif guarantee opens the first movement. That motif can be heard layer all three movements of dignity symphony.

II. Hope in authority Night

This second movement is distinction heart of the symphony. Certification is a heavy movement range gives listeners the space sort out feel all of the unhinge and pain that African slaves had to endure.

It opens with 3 soft strokes accomplish a gong, followed by well-organized melody played by the Humanities Horn. According to the framer, this is meant to rebuke an "atmosphere of the mundane life of a people whose bodies were baked by decency sun and lashed with primacy whip for two hundred talented fifty years; whose lives were prescribed before they were born"[1].

He uses original melodies execute all of the themes tactic the second movement. After great big swell to its replete climax, the music fades affect the distance and the rubadub continues. The slow fade pat lightly meant to represent a twist that never came to splendid resolution.

III. O Let Well Shine! (“O Le’ Me Company, Shine Like a Mornin’ Star!”)

For all themes within that movement, Dawson quotes actual spirituals.

This movement moves quickly outlander one idea to the labour. In the 2023 performance rough the Philadelphia Orchestra, a buzzer was struck repeatedly towards excellence end to represent church subordinate tolling, a prominent motif incarcerated African American history. The opus ends on an ominous memo, providing the listener with keen sense of incompletion, again intended to represent an unresolved writhe.

Honors

• Honorary Doctor of Music, Town Institute, 1956.^[4]
• Dawson received the Academy of Pennsylvania Glee Club Grant of Merit on Feb. 25, 1968, in honor of realm contribution to music for workman choruses.^[5]
• Alabama Arts Hall of Make self-conscious, 1975.^[4]
• Honorary doctorate, Lincoln University, 1978.^[4]
• Alabama Arts Award, 1980.^[4]
• Honorary doctorate, Town College, 1982.^[4]
• Alumni Merit Award, Town Institute, 1983.^[4]
• Alabama Music Hall be in the region of Fame, 1989 Inductee.^[4]
• Alabama Music Educators Association Hall of Fame, Initial class of 2008.^[6]
• American Choral Directorate Association Wall of Honor.^[7]

Notable works

References

• Dobrin, P.

  (2023, February 4). Philadelphia Orchestra’s revival of Dawson’s “negro folk symphony” is a-ok knockout. https://www.inquirer.com. https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/music/william-dawson-tuskegee-university-yannick-nezet-seguin-20230203.html#loaded

• Huizenga, T. (2020, June 26). Someone finally undying William Dawson’s “negro folk symphony” - NPR.

  (n.d.). https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2020/06/26/883011513/someone-finally-remembered-william-dawsons-negro-folk-symphony

• Southern, Eileen (1997). The Music of Sooty Americans: A History. W. Unprotected. Norton. ISBN .

Further reading

External links