William Levi Dawson, "Negro Folk Symphony"

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Joshua Weilerstein

Clarinet, Timpani, Performing, Trombone, Cello, Trumpet, Bassoon, Classicalmusic, Performing Arts, Arts, Violin, Flute, Piano, Conductor, Music, Weilerstein

4.9 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 25 February 2021

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

William Dawson is not a household name to classical music lovers. But for one week in 1934, he was the talk of the classical music world. The legendary Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra had chosen to program a new symphony by Dawson entitled "Negro Folk Symphony." It was broadcast nationwide and the audience reaction was ecstatic. But the piece soon disappeared and it is only in the past few years that it is performed more often. Today, I'll take you through this absolutely amazing symphony.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Sticky Notes, the Classical Music Podcast.
0:10.0	My name is Joshua Weilerstein, I'm a conductor, and I'm the artistic director of the
0:13.5	Lozan Chamber Orchestra in Lozan, Switzerland.
0:16.4	This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting
0:21.0	ready to dive into this amazing world of incredible music.
0:24.6	Before we get started, I want to thank my new Patreon sponsors, JP, Janet, Michael
0:28.8	B, Keith, and Michael E, and all of my Patreon sponsors for making season seven and the
0:35.0	show possible.
0:36.6	If you would like to help out the show monetarily, please check out our Patreon page at patreon.com
0:41.6	slash Sticky Notes Podcast.
0:43.7	And if you are a fan of the show, please just give us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts.
0:48.1	Every rating or review helps more people find the show, and it is greatly appreciated.
0:53.1	I'm here in Tampere Finland this week with the wonderful Tampere Finland Monarch, doing
0:57.2	a program of Bart Hock's Divertamento.
0:59.5	Ives is the unanswered question, and Beethoven's fourth symphony.
1:04.0	It's the first time I've conducted it in a few months, and just like riding a bike,
1:06.8	it takes a moment to feel comfortable again, and then you get right back into the swing
1:10.3	of things.
1:11.3	I want to mention one thing about the show today before we start.
1:15.9	And that's that I'm unusually indebted to two specific sources for this show today.
1:21.9	The first is an article called Whatever Happened to William Levi Dawson's Negro Folk
1:26.6	Symphony by Gwyn Kooner Brown.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Joshua Weilerstein, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Joshua Weilerstein and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.