Cornella Derrick Lampton (1896 – August 9, 1928), later Cornella 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.
Cornella Lampton | |
|---|---|
 Cornella Lampton, from the 1924 Howard University yearbook. | |
| Born | Cornella Derrick Lampton |
| Died | August 9, 1928 Chicago |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Cornelia Lampton, Cornelia Lampton Forrest, Cornelia Lampton Dawson |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Spouse | William Levi Dawson (m. 1927) |
Early life and education
editCornella 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 addressed 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
editCornella 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
editCornella 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]
References
edit- ^ University, Howard (1913). Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Howard University, District of Columbia. Judd & Detweiler. pp. 215, 231.
- ^ Lucas-Thompson, Grace (June 12, 1915). "What Our Women are Doing". The Freeman. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2020 – via Google News.
- ^ "Lampton, Edward Wilkinson". Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The History of Howard University from 1867 to 1924" The Bison (Howard University 1924).
- ^ a b "The Cornella Lampton Scholarship". The New York Age. 1929-06-01. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cap and Gown Day Held at Howard". Evening Star. 1927-04-10. p. 22. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Piano-Forte Recital". Howard University Journal. May 9, 1913. p. 3. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- ^ "Chicago Musical College Concert". Music News. 12: 18. March 26, 1920.
- ^ "Chicago Musical College Notes". Musical Courier. 80: 36. April 8, 1920.
- ^ "Last Summer Concert at Musical College" Musical Courier 79(August 14, 1910): 28.
- ^ a b "Cornella Lampton, Pianist, is Buried". Baltimore Afro American. August 18, 1928. p. 8. Retrieved February 9, 2020 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ^ "Cornella Lampton is a Juilliard Piano Fellow". The New York Age. 1927-11-19. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Cuney-Hare, Maud (2015-10-27). Negro Musicians and their Music. Library of Alexandria. ISBN 978-1-4656-0478-1.
- ^ "Station KYW". The Bristol Herald Courier. 1923-08-04. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Late Pianist was Authority in Music World". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1928-08-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Who's who in Colored America. Who's Who in Colored America Corporation. 1942. p. 152.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Prominent Pianist Dies in Chicago". Indianapolis Recorder. August 18, 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
- ^ "Scholarship Fund for Late Cornella Lampton". The New York Age. 1929-04-27. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
