DAWSON, WILLIAM LEVI, 1899-1990.
William Levi Dawson papers > Music publishing files

Scope and Content Note

This series consists of the records William Levi Dawson kept of his music publishing ventures from 1925 to 1990. It includes correspondence with publishing houses, contracts, royalty statements, receipts, ledger books, and court documents relating to copyright litigation. Although Dawson published the majority of his compositions with major publishing houses such as FitzSimons, Gamble Hinged Music, and Remick, many of the receipts record printing and shipping costs for compositions Dawson composed under his own imprint, Music Press, which were distributed by Kjos Music. Other correspondence, receipts, and ledger books in this series document the income Dawson received monthly from his compositions and record purchases of books and sheet music for his choir and personal library, mostly from 1960-1986.

A major portion of this series concerns Dawson's attempts to preserve copyright in his arrangements of African American folk music (spirituals). The series preserves the meticulous records he kept, including original registrations of copyright with the Library of Congress. Dawson exchanged a significant amount of correspondence with his personal lawyer, copyright expert William Krasilovsky. Additional correspondence with Susan Olive and the law firm of Bell, Seltzer, Park, and Gibson documents the only case that went to court, William L. Dawson vs. Hinshaw Music, filed in both the Louisiana and North Carolina courts in 1983. The series also contains copies of a number of court documents from that case, including the original complaint, depositions, court exhibits, and supporting material.

Arrangement Note

Arranged in alphabetical order.