About the Papers:

The William Levi Dawson papers came to Emory University as the generous gift of Mr. and Mrs. Milton L. Randolph, Jr. With original scores, correspondence, notebooks, photographs, audio-visual and printed material, the papers document much of Dawson’s musical career, from his early years as a student at Tuskegee under Booker T. Washington to his death in 1990.

The primary strength of the collection lies in its scores and other manuscript material. Through sketchbooks, drafts, published sheet music and recordings, many of Dawson’s compositions can be traced from initial idea to publication and performance. The collection contains multiple original manuscript scores of the Negro Folk Symphony, drafts and published versions of his choral arrangements, such as “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” and “There is a Balm in Gilead,” and original recordings of the Tuskegee Choir.

The Dawson papers also provide a glimpse into African American musical life in the early 20th century. There is sheet music from the 1900s to the 1980s by many composers, including W. C. Handy, Edward Boatner, Nathaniel Dett, H. T. Burleigh, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and John W. Work. There are also brochures, speeches, photographs, field recordings made in West Africa, and audio-visual material from Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University).

For a more complete listing of the materials in the William Levi Dawson papers, browse the collection description.

To search related materials in the Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library, search the finding aids.