Donald Lawrence: The Concert Stage, the Church, the Theatrical

This thesis is the first study of Donald Lawrence, a highly influential composer, conductor, and impresario in the area of Black gospel. The goal is to bring greater appreciation and understanding of his music, especially to Gospel singers and conductors, with the hope of encouraging further performance and study. In this work, I present an overview of those aspects of the history of Black music that have been most influential to Donald Lawrence, and I outline those strains of scholarship that have been most useful in my own studies of his music. I have conducted a series of interviews with Lawrence and with his associates in various realms, and these provide primary source materials of great value and provide the evidence for my study of his life to date. The final chapters of the thesis study three works chosen from various periods in his evolution as a composer. I demonstrate the malleability of the tripartite Gospel form in his capable hands, and show how music and lyrics join in his profoundly dramatic understanding of Black gospel. The study in Chapter 5, the concluding chapter, points to new directions in the work of this still living major composer.