William Levi Dawson was a composer, choir director and professor specializing in Black religious folk music. Born on September 26, 1899, in Alabama, to Eliza Starkey and George Dawson, a former slave and illiterate day laborer. In 1912, Dawson ran away from home to study music full-time as a pre-college student at the Tuskegee Institute under the tutelage of school president Booker T. Washington. Today, Dawson’s work has been unearthed after years of systemic racism that keeps the history of such talented composers lost.
Musical arrangements from William Dawson
“I.The Bond of Africa” from Negro Folk Symphony
In the autumn of 1934, Dawson made the audience at New York’s Carnegie Hall go crazy at the premiere of his Negro Folk Symphony. Legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski led the Philadelphia Orchestra during the premier. One of his goals in writing the work was for audiences to know that it was “unmistakably not the work of a white man.“
“Out in the Fields”
Soprano Maia Aramburú and pianist Kathryn Goodson perform Dawson’s arrgement of “Out in the Fields.”
The little cares that fretted me,
I lost them yesterday
Among the fields above the sea,
Among the winds that play,
Among the lowing of the herd,
The rustling of the trees,
Among the singing of the birds,
The humming of the bees.
The foolish fears of what might pass
I cast them all away
Among the clover-scented grass,
Among the new-mown hay,
Among the hushing of the corn,
Where drowsy poppies nod,
Where ill thoughts die and good are born —
Out in the fields with God.
“Ezekiel Saw de Wheel”
This spiritual is among Dawson’s most famous arrangements. Recorded by artists such as Woody Guthrie, Paul Robeson, the Fisk Jubilee Singers and John Lee Hooker, the song recounts Ezekiel’s divine vision from the Old Testament.
Credits
Host: Vernon Neal
Producer: Dan Nass
Writers: Andrea Blain and Scott Blankenship
Additional music selections: Jeffrey Yelverton
Executive Producer: Julie Amacher
Love the music?
Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.
Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.
YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.
Your Donation
About Rhapsody in Black
Where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music, with host Vernon Neal.
Subscribe to the podcast: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | TuneIn | RSS Feed
