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"S" is for Strickland, Lily (1884-1958)

South Carolina From A to Z
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"S" is for Strickland, Lily (1884-1958). Composer, writer, artist. A native of Anderson, Strickland studied piano and composition at Converse. In 1905 she received a scholarship for study at the Institute of Musical arts in New York City (the forerunner of Julliard). She and her husband lived in various parts of the world—notably Africa and Asia. Her travel essays appeared in numerous American magazines and her watercolors graced the covers of her sheet music. A prolific composer, she published 395 musical works for popular, church, and children’s performances. She enjoyed wide popularity, an unusual accomplishment for a female composer in the early twentieth century. Numerous ensembles including the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra performed her work. Lily Strickland’s most famous composition was a popular piece with a southern flavor, “Mah Mindy Lou.”

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.