Patricia "Patsy" Lynch

Patsy Lynch Wood attended Black Mountain College for six years, and graduated with a degree in Music.

She became friends with composer/musician John Cage and lived at The Land, a small community founded by former BMC artists and musicians in Stony Point, NY. Ms. Wood played piano in Cage’s Satie Festival during the summer of 1948 and is quoted in one of Cage’s books. Her first job after leaving BMC was at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

An obituary was shared, highlighting her personal and professional accomplishments; like that she returned to school at 60 to get a certification in music therapy and practiced for 18 years before retiring. She passed in 2024 at the age of 100.

Alternative Names: Patsy Lynch Wood, Patsy Davenport Wood, Patricia Gay Lynch, Patricia Lynch Davenport

Black Mountain College Project

Mary Emma Harris interviewed Patricia in 1998 and the transcript is available from Appalachian State University under The Mary Emma Harris and Black Mountain College Project, Inc. Oral History collection.

Topics: Hearing about BMC – family background – summer work camp – freedom and self-discipline at BMC – impact of World War Two – general classes – music curriculum – BMC music students – theater performances – Robert Wunsch – 1944 Summer Music Institute – Josef Albers classes – college conflicts – assessment of college as educational community – integration of college – Edward Lowinsky as teacher – Fritz Cohen – John Cage/Erwin Bodky conflict – 1948 summer session faculty – graduation in music – Charlotte Schlesinger – stage in dining hall – post-BMC professional life – work at Museum of Non-Objective Painting – Gatehill Cooperative Community “The Land” – post-BMC professional life – comparison of BMC with other learning experiences – college parties – influence of college

Courses Taken

Summer term 1941-42: readings in literature (Kurtz), Ensemble Playing (Jalowetz), Piano Lessons (Jalowetz), Ear Training Keyboard Harmony (Evarts),Dramatics 1 and 2 (Bentley)

Fall term 1942-43: Readings in Literature (Kurtz), Intermediate French (deGraaf), Madrigal Group—dropped (Jalowetz, Cohen), Color II (Albers), PianoLessons (Jalowetz), Community Work Program (Wood)

Winter Term 1942-43: Readings in Literature (Kurtz), Color II (JAlbers), Intermediate French (de Graaf), Chorus (Jalowetz), Piano Lessons (Jalowetz), Musical Forms (Jalowetz), Mozart Operas (Jalowetz), Ensemble (Jalowetz),Community Work Program (Wood)

Spring Term 1942-43: Advanced French (de Graaf). Problems of Musical Forms (Jalowetz), Operas of Mozart (Jalowetz), Color II (J Albers), Ensemble (Jalowetz), Chorus (Jalowetz), Piano lessons (Jalowetz), A Capella Choir once weekly (Lowinsky), Community work program (Wood)

Fall Term 1943-44: Symphonies (H Jalowetz), Harmony III (F Cohen), AmericanHistory (C Foreman), General Design (J Albers), Acoustics (F Hansgirg),Ensemble (F Cohen), Piano Lessons (H Jalowetz), Chorus (H Jalowetz)

Winter term 1943-44: American History (C Foreman), Socio-Economic Survey(C Foreman and Miller), General Design (J Albers), Piano Lessons (H Jalowetz),Ensemble (F Cohen), Chorus (H Jalowetz)

Spring term 1943-44: American History (C Foreman), Socio-Economic Survey (CForeman and Miller), General Design (J Albers), Piano Lessons (H Jalowetz),Ensemble(Jalowetz), Chorus (H Jalowetz), Dramatic Production (Wunsch),Community Work Program (Wood)

Summer term 1943-44: Means of Expression in Harpsicord Music (Y Pessl),What is Style in music? (E Lowinsky), The Piano Duo (E Steuermann),Community Chorus (Jalowetz), Acapella chorus (Lowinsky), Psychology of thePianist (E Steuermann)

Winter term 1944-45: Dramatic Production (Wunsch), Bible (Lowinsky), Introductory mathematics (M Dehn), Piano lessons (H Jalowetz), Ensemble (HJalowetz), Chorus (H Jalowetz)

Spring term 1944-45: Bible (Lowinsky), Piano lessons (Jalowetz), Chorus (Jalowetz), Tutorial—Viennese school of music (Jalowetz), Outline of western culture (Lowinsky)

Winter term 1945-46: Haydn Mozart & Beethoven (Lowinsky), Counterpoint (Jalowetz), Harmony (Jalowetz), Chorus (Jalowetz), Piano lessons (Lowinsky)

Spring term 1945-46: Viennese Classical Symphony (Lowinsky), Counterpoint (Lowinsky), Harmony ( M. Fax), Piano lessons (Lowinsky), Chorus (Lowinsky),Work Program (Wood)

Fall term 1946-47: Gregorian Chant to Bach (Lowinsky). Advanced Counterpoint tutorial (Lowinsky), Acapella (Lowinsky),Chorus (Schlesinger), Piano Lessons(Lowinsky)

Spring term 1946-47: Form & Musical structure from Gregorian Chant to Bach (Lowinsky), Counterpoint Tutorial (Lowinsky),Piano Lessons (Lowinsky), Acapella (Lowinsky), Chorus (C. Schlesinger)

Fall term 1947-48: Musical Tutorial-piano (Schlesinger), Music Tutorial-practical, theoretical (Schlesinger), Piano teaching (Schlesinger), Chorus(Schlesinger), Music, advanced (Schlesinger)

Summer term 1948: Color (Albers), Beginning Weaving (T Guermonprez),Sonnets of Beethoven (Bodky)