[ABOVE: The
Spirituals of William L. Dawson; The
St. Olaf Choir; Anton Armstrong, conductor; Marvis Martin, soprano;
St. Olaf Records 2159 (1997) BELOW: William
Levi Dawson: Negro
Folk Symphony; American
Symphony Orchestra; Leopold Stokowski. Conductor (Cover of original
LP: American Decca DL 10077)]
Since the last anniversary of the birth of the African American composer and choral director William Levi Dawson on September 26, a YouTube posting has made his only symphony available in its entirety online. The Negro
Folk Symphony (35:44) was posted on YouTube May 23, 2012:
William
Levi Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
(1934)
“Published
on May 23, 2012 by robt0007
Composer:
William Levi Dawson (September 26, 1899 -- May 2, 1990) was an
African-American composer, choir director and
professor.
“Composition:
Negro Folk Symphony (1934)
I.
The Bond of Africa
II. Hope in the Night
III. O Let Me Shine!
“Orchestra:
The American Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski conductor
“Cover
Art:
1a.
Bond of Arfica: African Elephant
1b. African Sunset by Abglanz
2
Hope in the Night: African Night Jungle Landscape by Abhidhanbad
3
O Let Me Shine!...African Sunset”
William Levi Dawson (1899-1990) is
profiled at AfriClassical.com, which features a comprehensive Works
List by Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
http://www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
The
Dawson page discusses the recording by Leopold Stokowski:Leopold
Stokowski conducted the first performance of Dawson's Negro
Folk Symphony
in 1934. He also recorded the work for Decca Records in 1963. The LP
recording has since been reissued on CD by Deutsche Grammophon
as DG 477 6502 (2007). Alan Newcombe says in the liner notes that
the work was important to the evolution of the American symphony:
“His Negro
Folk Symphony
was first performed by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia
Orchestra in 1934. After making a study of indigenous African music,
in 1952 Dawson revised his work to give it a more 'African' rhythmic
underpinning. While recalling the idiom of Dvorak's 'New World'
Symphony and the cyclic principles of the César Franck school, not
to mention Bruckner's Fourth at the opening of the last movement, the
work's individuality of texture and rhythmic energy make it a
significant, albeit largely unacknowledged, contribution to the
development of the American symphony.”
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