Stringfield, Lamar (Edwin)
Stringfield, Lamar (Edwin)
Stringfield, Lamar (Edwin), American flutist, conductor, and composer; b. Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 10, 1897; d. Asheville, N.C., Jan. 21, 1959. He served in the U.S. Army during World War I; after the Armistice, he studied theory with Goetschius and flute with Barreré at the Inst. of Musical Art in N.Y.; also took lessons in conducting with Chalmers Clifton. In 1930 he organized the Inst. of Folk Music at the Univ. of N.C., and conducted its orch.; was conductor of the Knoxville (Tenn.) Sym. Orch. (1946-47), then of the Charlotte Sym. Orch. (1948-49). The source material of his compositions is largely derived from the folk songs of the U.S. South. He learned the trade of printing and was able to publ, his own works. He wrote America and Her Music (Chapel Hill, 1931) and a Guide for Young Flutists (MS, c. 1945; included in the Nelson diss. listed in the bibliography below).
Works
dramatic: The 7th Queue, ballet (1928); The Mountain Song, opera (1929); Carolina Charcoal, musical folk comedy (1951-53). ORCH.: The Desert Wanderer, overture for Band (1921); Tango for Small Orch. (1921); Valse triste (1921); Mountain Suite for Band (1922); Indian Legend (1923); Asheville Kiwana’s March for Band (1924); Squaw Dance (1925); From the Southern Mountains (1927); From a Negro Melody for Chamber Orch. (1928); At the Factory, symphonic fantasy (1929); Negro Parade (1931); The Legend of John henry, symphonic ballad (1932); Moods of a Moonshiner (1934); From the Blue Ridge, symphonic sketches (1936); Peace, symphonic poem (1942); Mountain Dawn for Flute and Strings (1945); Georgia Buck for Band (1949). CHAMBER: Mountain Echoes for Flute and Harp (1921); Indian Sketches for Flute and String Quartet (1922); Mountain Sketches for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1923); Fugue for String Quartet (1924); Concert Fugue for String Quartet (1924); The Ole Swimmin’ Hole for Flute, Viola, and Cello (1924); Suite for Oboe and Flute (1925); Elegy for Cello and Piano (1930); Quintet for Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, and Horn (1932); A Mountain Episode for String Quartet (1933); Dance of the Frogs for Chamber Ensemble (1939). VOCAL: Fly Low, Vermillion Dragon for Voice and Orch. (1925); The Vagabond’s Prayer for Baritone and String Quartet (1925); On a Moonbeam for Voice, Piano, and Flute (1938); Peace, cantata for Chorus and Orch. or Organ (1949); About Dixie for Chorus and Orch. (1950); songs.
Bibliography
D. Nelson, The Life and Works of L. S. (1897-1959) (diss., Univ. of N.C., 1971).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire