Autographed score for “Oh, m’ Lit’l’ Soul Gwin-A Shine” around which Dawson based the second theme of the first movement of the Negro Folk Symphony.

The first movement of the Negro Folk Symphony entitled "The Bond of Africa," contains two related themes. The first is original material that represents the "missing link" from "a human chain when the first African was taken from the shores of his native land and sent into slavery." Dawson based the second theme on "Oh, m' Lit'l' Soul Gwine-A Shine," first stated with the oboes. As John Andrew Johnson describes, “Each of its three movements, while cast in a traditional form, is ultimately not controlled by these predetermined structures; rather, a continuous process of variation and development shapes its course.” (Johnson 48).