William Levi Dawson

Composer, arranger and educator William Levi Dawson’s chief claim to fame is popularising African American spirituals in choral music, as well as composing visionary instrumental works influenced by Black folk music traditions. Born in 1899, he left his Alabama hometown of Anniston to attend the Tuskegee Institute at 13; there, he was encouraged in his musical studies by the institute’s founder, Booker T. Washington. After completing his master's and working as a bandleader and trombonist in Chicago, Dawson returned to Tuskegee in 1931 to establish a school of music and direct the institute's choir. Under his supervision, the 100-person chorus became an international sensation following a breakthrough performance at Radio City Music Hall’s grand opening. Dawson also garnered acclaim for his 1934 orchestral work Negro Folk Symphony, featuring snippets of spirituals and African folk music, which received a standing ovation at its Carnegie Hall premiere and a national radio broadcast. After he fell into relative obscurity for many decades, several major orchestras in the early 21st century began championing his work. But Dawson was not around to enjoy his resurgence. He had died in 1990 at the age of 90.