Musician. He is considered an internationally acclaimed conductor, composer, and arranger. He was called the "Father of the Negro Spiritual." He studied music at Tuskegee Institute. In 1935, his Negro Folk Symphony premiered. It was reported to be the first work of its kind by a Black composer incorporating Black folk songs and using the songs as a basis for the symphony. Dawson was the founding chairperson of the Tuskegee Institute University School of Music. He conducted the Tuskegee Choir before United States Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. In 1927 he married pianist Cornelia Derrick Lampton, the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree in music at Howard University, and she died suddenly in 1928. He remarried. His 1981 biography, "William L. Dawson: A Umum Tribute and A Marvelous Journey," by James G. Spady was dedicated to his wife, Cecile N. Dawson. Among his host of awards and honors, he was inducted in 1989 to the Alabama Musical Hall of Fame and received the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit on February 25, 1968, in honor of his contribution to music for male choruses.
Musician. He is considered an internationally acclaimed conductor, composer, and arranger. He was called the "Father of the Negro Spiritual." He studied music at Tuskegee Institute. In 1935, his Negro Folk Symphony premiered. It was reported to be the first work of its kind by a Black composer incorporating Black folk songs and using the songs as a basis for the symphony. Dawson was the founding chairperson of the Tuskegee Institute University School of Music. He conducted the Tuskegee Choir before United States Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. In 1927 he married pianist Cornelia Derrick Lampton, the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree in music at Howard University, and she died suddenly in 1928. He remarried. His 1981 biography, "William L. Dawson: A Umum Tribute and A Marvelous Journey," by James G. Spady was dedicated to his wife, Cecile N. Dawson. Among his host of awards and honors, he was inducted in 1989 to the Alabama Musical Hall of Fame and received the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit on February 25, 1968, in honor of his contribution to music for male choruses.
Bio by: Deleon Todd
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