News & Views Thursday, March 28, 2024

William Dawson - American Masterpieces: Choral Music Tuesday, April 05, 2011

The National Endowment for the Arts' American Masterpieces: Choral Music initiative is designed to celebrate our national musical heritage by highlighting significant American choral composers and their works of the past 250 years. Stanton's Sheet Music is proud to present this series highlighting the composers and their works featured in this groundbreaking project.

(from NEA.gov)
William Dawson's (1899-1990) name is among the most familiar of all African-American composers of classical music. His long and distinguished career centered on the famed Tuskegee Institute, which he began attending at age 13 after running away from home in order to enroll. A native of Alabama, Dawson worked at manual labor to put himself through Tuskegee. Ten years after graduating he founded the School of Music there and conducted the 100-voice Tuskegee Choir for 25 years. He brought the choir to national prominence, directing it in performances at Radio City Music Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the White House.

He was active beyond the Institute as well. In addition to earning degrees in theory and composition, he played trombone in the Chicago Civic Symphony and taught in the public schools. He was a young man when his Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano was performed at a Kansas City Symphony concert.  But it was after the premiere of his Negro Folk Symphony with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski in 1934 that his worldwide reputation was ensured. He traveled the world to lecture, guest conduct choral groups and symphony orchestras, and undertake research into native music of Africa. Although his compositional output always celebrated the traditions of his African-American heritage, influences from his broad experience as a musician and scholar were plentiful.

Dawson is most remembered for his vocal music, including some of the most admired settings of spirituals, such as “Ain'-a That Good News,” “Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit,” “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel,” and “There Is a Balm in Gilead.” These have been sung and enjoyed for decades around the world.

Selected Works:
Ain'-a That Good News
Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit
Ezekiel Saw de Wheel
Mary Had a Baby
Oh, What a Beautiful City
Soon Ah Will Be Done
Steal Away
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
There Is a Balm in Gilead
There's a Lit'l Wheel A-Turnin' in My Heart

For more distinguished choral repertoire suggestions, please contact us.

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