William Dawson
(1899-1990)

Negro Folk Symphony
Composed 1934

William Dawson’s Negro Folk Symphony serves as a resounding testament to his cultural heritage, musical prowess, and lifelong dedication to uplifting African American folk music. Born in 1899 in Anniston, Alabama, Dawson exhibited early musical and academic talents, sparking a lifelong journey that would shape him into a monumental figure in the realm of music and education.

At Tuskegee Institute, founded by Booker T. Washington, Dawson received an extensive education that was a major factor in forming the foundation for his illustrious career. Post-Tuskegee, Dawson continued his academic pursuits, attending Horner Institute of Fine Arts and becoming the first Black student to earn a bachelor’s degree there. Later he attended the American Conservatory of Music, where he earned a Master of Music degree in composition.

The journey of this composition started in Chicago's vibrant Black arts scene in the late 1920s. The culmination of Dawson's compositional ambitions, the symphony, premiered in 1934, received immediate acclaim, with audiences breaking traditional etiquette to applaud after the second movement and Black and white critics alike penning glowing reviews.

Despite its initial success, the symphony did not find a regular place in U.S. orchestras' rotations, largely due to the lack of a consistent champion and limited availability of scores and orchestral parts. However, the symphony, especially in its revised version after Dawson's African tour in the early 1950s, remains a seminal piece of African American classical music, gaining renewed attention in recent years.

In understanding the Negro Folk Symphony, I believe the title calls for a bit of exploration. For Dawson and his generation, the term "Negro" signified pride and respect. By the time of his death in 1990, popular tastes had changed. He saw “Black” as a color that was much too narrow to adequately represent his culture and heritage which he consistently celebrated through his music and teaching.

The “folk” in the title, meanwhile, alludes to Dawson’s use of orally transmitted folk songs to construct a symphony for the concert hall, following in the footsteps of composers like Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Johannes Brahms, and notably Antonín Dvořák, who drew inspiration from their nations' folk music.

The symphony opens with a somber motive that Dawson, in retrospect, likened to the human link torn apart by the African slave trade, symbolizing the initial rupture from the African homeland. This recurring motive, sometimes heroic, sometimes foreboding, connects the three movements of the symphony, contributing to the narrative.

The first movement, "The Bond of Africa," is a vibrant celebration of African heritage, exuding rhythmic excitement and expert orchestral color. The second movement, "Hope in the Night," delineates the hope and longing of a people living in the shadow of their grim past. The final movement, "O Le’ Me Shine, Shine Like a Morning Star!," signifies a renewal, transforming the themes of the previous movements and ending the symphony with jubilant, percussive colors that evoke the rhythms Dawson encountered in Africa.

Despite Dawson's regrettable underrepresentation as a symphonist, his legacy as a choirmaster and educator at Tuskegee Institute, and through his widely performed spirituals, has had a lasting impact. His Negro Folk Symphony, a profound composition that attempts to mend the fracture in the human bond caused by the transatlantic slave trade, stands as a monument to his dedication to African American culture, inspiring new generations to explore and celebrate the musical contributions of Black composers.

Instrumentation – two flutes and piccolo, two oboes and English horn, four clarinets, two bassoons and contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, and strings

Duration – 36 minutes

~ Kenneth Bean
Georg and Joyce Albers-Schonberg Assistant Conductor
Princeton Symphony Orchestra