William dawson biography
William L. Dawson (composer)
American composer
William Levi Dawson | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Dawson (circa 1931) | |
| Born | (1899-09-26)September 26, 1899 Anniston, Alabama |
| Died | May 2, 1990(1990-05-02) (aged 90) Montgomery, Alabama |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Negro Folk Symphony |
William Levi Dawson (September 26, 1899 – May 2, 1990) was an American composer, choir director, professor, and musicologist.
Life
Of African American heritage, William Dawson was born in Anniston, Alabama. In 1912, Dawson ran away from home to study music full-time as a pre-college student at the Tuskegee Institute (now University) under the tutelage of school president Booker T. Washington. Dawson paid his tuition by being a music librarian and manual laborer working in the school’s Agricultural Division. He also participated as a member of Tuskegee’s choir, band and orchestra, composing and traveling extensively with the Tuskegee Singers