Dulcie Sybil Holland was born in Sydney in 1913. From an early age she was into music, beginning piano lessons at only 6 years old. As a young student, Holland honed her musical skills at the prestigious Sydney Conservatorium (then the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music). By age 20, she had completed both a Diploma and Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music. At 23, Holland made the decision to travel to London for further music education. But when World War II started, Holland ended her studies prematurely and returned to Australia. Throughout the 1940s she worked as a recitalist and freelance composer. Then, in the 1950s, she wrote musical scores for documentaries produced by the Australian government – her name is credited on over forty such productions. In 1967, she became an examiner at the Australian Music Examinations Board. In this capacity, she wrote large numbers of musical studies, music theory books and textbooks. By her retirement in 1983, Holland had become one of Australia's most prolific and celebrated music authors. She died in 2000 aged 87.
