The MS 6853 collection is arranged into four series. The first series, of personal documents, includes a diary and associated papers covering the period when Dulcie Holland left Australia to study music in London. Holland's original scores date from the 1930s to the 1990s and comprise the second series. They include chamber music, orchestral music, early compositions, piano music, solo works and songs. This series includes 146 titles. The scores are signed, or initialled, and dated by Holland. She also annotated many of the scores with the name of the lyricist for whose works she wrote the melodies, the name of the choir or occasion that a composition was arranged for, or the name of the person who first performed the piece (1 box, 7 fol. boxes).
The Acc03.113 instalment comprises black and white photographs of Holland, music by Holland including scores edited by Becky Llewellyn, articles, issue of Scala news (March/April 1990), and a "Songlines" leaflet (1 box).
Composer and pianist. Dulcie Sybil Holland was born in Sydney in 1913, and trained at the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music, graduating with her Teacher's Diploma in 1933. She began to teach piano and undertook further study continuing in London at the Royal College of Music where she held the Blumenthal Scholarship for Composition. Following her return to Sydney she became a freelance composer. Holland wrote music in many forms and for many media, including orchestral pieces, chamber music, songs, solo works and music for film.
Her compositions won prizes and she received many commissions. Between 1967 and 1984 she was an examiner for the Australian Music Education Board. In 1977 she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) and, in 1993, was presented with an honorary doctorate in music from Macquarie University. Holland had a distinguished career as a pianist, organist, composer and choir director, and was also the author of many publications that made her name synonymous with music theory in Australia. Holland died in Sydney in 2000.
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