Composers
William Lawerence
1895 - 1981About
William Lawrence (1895-1981) was born in Charleston, South Carolina to Merton and Sylvia Lawrence. He studied piano, organ, and voice at the Avery Institute (early 1900s), at the New England Conservatory of Music (1913-1916) and in Paris, France (1926-1931). He worked briefly at South Carolina State Agricultural and Mechanical College (later South Carolina State University) in Orangeburg. Among his many collaborations, he accompanied such well-known singers as Marian Anderson, Dorothy Maynor, and Roland Hayes. He created an orchestra with Alfred Ross during the Depression called the Symphonetta to employ musicians and the ensemble played in numerous New York auditoriums. He is credited with arranging ''Let Us Break Bread Together,'' a spiritual closely associated with Marion Anderson. He also taught piano and voice, composed music, and gave instrumental and vocal recitals in Europe and America. He died in 1981, and his remains rest at Trinity Church Crematory in New York.