Laura Lemon

Laura Lemon
Born(1866-10-15)15 October 1866
Guelph, Canada West
Died18 August 1924(1924-08-18) (aged 57)
Surrey, England
Other namesAustin Fleming, Ian Macdonald
OccupationsAuthor, composer

Laura Gertrude Lemon (15 October 1866 – 18 August 1924) was a Canadian composer and songwriter who lived and worked in England. She also used the pseudonyms Austin Fleming and Ian Macdonald.[1][2] Lemon was mostly known for composing pieces for violin and piano such as "Three Moravian Dances", which was dedicated to the Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow. However she also noted for her songs.[2] "My Ain Folk, a ballad of home",[3] was at one time one of the best-known songs by a Canadian composer.[4]

Early life

Lemon was born in Guelph, Ontario. Her father was Andrew Lemon, Queen's Counsel, with a job as a partner in the law firm Lemon and Peterson. Her mother was Laura Armstrong, after whom she was named. In 1881, when she was five years old, the family moved from their Arthur Street home to Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lemon grew up there with an appreciation and skill for music. In her early 20s Lemon moved to England, enrolling in the Royal Academy of Music in London.[5]

Musical career

Lemon was a skilled pianist and many of her early works were written for piano. In the 1890s, her compositions began to be published as on sheet music. These titles included "Slumber Songs" and "Three Moravian Dances". Her works were performed by local singers, sometimes with Lemon's accompaniment.[6]

Lemon began to collaborate with lyricist Wilfrid Mills in 1904. Their work "My Ain Folk" (1904) (subtitled "A Ballad of Home") remains the best recalled of their collaborations.[7] The prominent English singer, Dame Clara Ellen Butt, popularized the song by performing it during one of her presentations. The first recording that can be traced was sung by Dame Clara for the Gramophone Company Limited in July 1912. Others who later recorded it are John McDermott, John Allan Cameron, Lulu and Kenneth McKellar.[7]

Lemon died in Surrey, England, in 1924.

Works

Lemon composed for violin and piano, but was best known for her songs. The selected works include:

  • Three Moravian Dances, for piano and violin (1910) – dedicated to Kathleen Parlow[8]
  • "My Ain Folk: A Ballad of Home" (1904). Arranged by Reg Leopold
  • Slumber Songs (1895)
  • "My Ain Love and My Dearie" (1900)[9]
  • "Canada Ever!" (1907)
  • "Mighty Dominion" (1910)
  • Canadian Song Cycle (1911), words by Wilfred Mills[8][10]
  • "Love's Necklet" (1913), words by Lancelot Cayley Shadwell (1882–1963)

References

  1. ^ Sadie, Julie Anne; Samuel, Rhian (1994). The Norton/Grove Dictionary of Women Composers. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393034875.
  2. ^ a b IAWM Journal. 9–10. International Alliance for Women in Music. 2003. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[full citation needed]
  3. ^ Kallmann, Helmut. "My Ain Folk". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  4. ^ Rosemary Anderson; Dawn Matheson (January 2000). Guelph: perspectives on a century of change, 1900–2000. Guelph Historical Society. p. 22. ISBN 978-0-9690594-2-4.
  5. ^ Frederick Albert Hall (1993). Chansons IV Sur Textes Anglais. Canadian Musical Heritage Society = Société pour le patrimoine musical canadien. p. vi. ISBN 978-0-919883-21-5.
  6. ^ "(A large audience was attracted ...)". The Musical News. Vol. 10, no. 276. 13 June 1896. p. 557.
  7. ^ a b "Guelph-born composer wrote hit song ‘My Ain Folk’". Waterloo Region Record, 9 Jan 2015 by Rych Mills
  8. ^ a b Helmut Kallmann. "Laura Lemon". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  9. ^ Madelaine Morrison, Domestic Harmonies: Musical Activity in Southwestern Ontario, 1880–1920. Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, 2013, p. 314.
  10. ^ Timothy James McGee; John Beckwith (1 October 1995). Taking a stand: essays in honour of John Beckwith. University of Toronto Press. p. 192. ISBN 978-0-8020-0583-0.

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