Josephine McGill explained

Josephine McGill (20 October 1877 – 24 February 1919) was an American composer, music historian and folksong collector.

Life

Josephine McGill was born in Louisville (Kentucky), the second daughter of Benjamin Harding McGill (1834–1878) and his wife Bridgett (née Corcoran) (born 1845 in Ireland). After attending and graduating from Presentation Academy and Louisville Girls High School, McGill studied piano, organ and vocal music in New York. She devoted her career to composition and the study of music.

She wrote the book Folk Songs of the Kentucky Mountains, first published in 1917, then reprinted in 1922, 1926 and 1937, after collecting and transcribing folksongs in Knott and Letcher counties in 1914.

McGill died at the age of 41 at her mother's home, after being ill for several weeks.

Works (selection)

External links