Laura Lemon

Lemon, Laura

  Laura (Gertrude) Lemon. Composer, pianist, b Guelph, Ont, 15 Oct 1866, d Redhill, Surrey, England, 18 Aug 1924. Laura Lemon was of United Empire Loyalist stock and was raised in Guelph and Winnipeg. In 1890 she went to study at the RAM and remained in England. Although she wrote some piano and violin music, she was most successful as a writer of songs, some two dozen of which were published, mostly by Boosey. 'My Ain Folk, a ballad of home', is one of the best-known songs by a Canadian composer. Emma Albani sang Lemon's 'Slumber Song' for Queen Victoria. Of Canadian interest are 'Canada for Ever!' (Boosey 1907), 'Mighty Dominion' (Boosey 1910), and 'Canadian Song Cycle' (4 songs, Boosey 1911). Lemon wrote the texts of some of her songs, using the pseudonyms Austin Fleming and Ian Macdonald. Three Moravian Dances for violin and piano (Weekes 1910) were dedicated to Kathleen Parlow.