Cornelia Lampton

Cornelia Derrick Lampton (1896 – August 9, 1928), later Cornelia Lampton Dawson, was an American pianist and music educator. She was the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree in music at Howard University.

Cornelia Lampton
Cornelia Lampton, from the 1924 Howard University yearbook.
Born
Cornella Derrick Lampton
DiedAugust 9, 1928
Chicago
NationalityAmerican
Other namesCornella Lampton, Cornelia Lampton Forrest, Cornelia Lampton Dawson
OccupationMusician
Spouse(s)William Levi Dawson (m. 1927)

Early life and education

Cornelia (or Cornella) Derrick Lampton was from Greenville, Mississippi,[1] the youngest daughter of clergyman Edward Wilkinson Lampton and Lula M. Lampton.[2][3] The family moved to Chicago after one of her sisters demanded to be address as "Miss Lampton" by the phone company, and the argument escalated to threats against the family.[4]

She was the first woman to earn a bachelor's degree at Howard University's Conservatory of Music,[5][6] graduating in 1914.[7][8] She attended the Chicago Musical College, where she studied piano with Alexander Raab[9][10] and Percy Grainger,[11] and from 1925 to 1927[12] pursued further studies in piano with James Friskin, on a scholarship at the Juilliard Musical Foundation.[13][14]

Career

Cornelia Lampton performed as a pianist in recitals and on radio programs,[15] and taught piano. She was also music editor of the Chicago Whip. She was a member of the National Association of Negro Musicians, and the Chicago Music Association.[16] In 1927, she spoke and played at the 137th Street YWCA in New York, giving a program on "song and folk song."[17]

Personal life and legacy

Cornelia Lampton married composer and musician William Levi Dawson in May 1927.[18][19] She died in August 1928, aged 32, in Chicago.[16] Reports ascribed her death to complications after an appendectomy.[20][21] Her remains were buried in Greenville.[12] One of her students, Vivienne Shurland, established the Cornelia Lampton Scholarship Fund in her memory, for music students at Howard University.[6][22]

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References
  1. University, Howard (1913). Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Howard University, District of Columbia. Judd & Detweiler. pp. 215, 231.
  2. Lucas-Thompson, Grace (June 12, 1915). "What Our Women are Doing". The Freeman. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2020 – via Google News.
  3. "Lampton, Edward Wilkinson". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  4. Jackson, D. (2008-09-29). Booker T. Washington and the Struggle against White Supremacy: The Southern Educational Tours, 1908–1912. Springer. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-230-61550-2.
  5. "The History of Howard University from 1867 to 1924" The Bison (Howard University 1924).
  6. "The Cornella Lampton Scholarship". The New York Age. 1929-06-01. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Cap and Gown Day Held at Howard". Evening Star. 1927-04-10. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Piano-Forte Recital". Howard University Journal. May 9, 1913. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. "Chicago Musical College Concert". Music News. 12: 18. March 26, 1920.
  10. "Chicago Musical College Notes". Musical Courier. 80: 36. April 8, 1920.
  11. "Last Summer Concert at Musical College" Musical Courier 79(August 14, 1910): 28.
  12. "Cornella Lampton, Pianist, is Buried". Baltimore Afro American. August 18, 1928. p. 8. Retrieved February 9, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  13. "Cornella Lampton is a Julliard Piano Fellow". The New York Age. 1927-11-19. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Cuney-Hare, Maud (2015-10-27). Negro Musicians and their Music. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 978-1-4656-0478-1.
  15. "Station KYW". The Bristol Herald Courier. 1923-08-04. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Late Pianist was Authority in Music World". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1928-08-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Beaux-Arts Girls at 137th St. Y Hear 1st Lecture-Recital". The New York Age. 1927-04-23. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. Greene, David Mason; Green, Constance (1985). Greene's Biographical Encyclopedia of Composers. Reproducing Piano Roll Fnd. pp. 128–129. ISBN 978-0-385-14278-6.
  19. Who's who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1942. p. 152.
  20. "Cornella Lampton Dawson, Pianist, Died Suddenly in Chicago Hospital". The New York Age. 1928-08-25. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. "Prominent Pianist Dies in Chicago". Indianapolis Recorder. August 18, 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  22. "Scholarship Fund for Late Cornella Lampton". The New York Age. 1929-04-27. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
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