Margaret Ruthven Lang (November 27, 1867 – May 29, 1972) was an American composer and violinist primarily active in
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
. Lang is often considered the
first woman composer to have a composition performed by a major American symphony orchestra, when her now-lost ''Dramatic Overture'' was premiered by the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
in 1893.
Life
Margaret Lang was born in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1867. She was the eldest child of Frances Morse Burrage Lang, an amateur singer, and
Benjamin Johnson "B. J." Lang, a conductor, pianist, organist, composer, and accompanist (later director) of several choral groups including: The
Apollo Club, The Cecilia Society, and the
Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest serving suc ...
. B. J. Lang was a powerful member of the musical aristocracy of Boston and the Lang home, located at 8 Brimmer Street, saw many guests including
Maude Powell,
Camilla Urso
Camilla Urso (13 June 1840Pierre 1900p. 862 Other sources give her year of birth as 1842. – 20 January 1902) was a French-born child prodigy violinist, who became an American musician, "recognized as one of the finest violinists of the latter h ...
,
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...
, and
Paderewski
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; r 1859– 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist, composer and statesman who was a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the nation's prime minister and foreign minister during which time he signed the Tre ...
. B. J. Lang was also a friend of
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
and his daughter
Cosima, and of
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...
. Margaret knew Wagner's children as playmates.
After demonstrating an early talent for composition, B. J. saw to it that Margaret received lessons in harmony, counterpoint and later, orchestration. In 1886, at the age of 19, Margaret, accompanied by her mother, traveled to Munich to study violin with Franz Drechsler and
Ludwig Abel
Ludwig Abel (14 January 1835 – 13 August 1895) was a German violinist, composer, and conductor.
Life
Born in Eckartsberga, Province of Saxony, he was a pupil of Ferdinand David. He became a member of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, and in 18 ...
and counterpoint and fugue with
Victor Gluth. However, she was not allowed to enter the Royal Conservatory of Music, as women were barred from counterpoint classes until 1898.
After returning to Boston, Margaret studied orchestration and composition with
George Whitefield Chadwick
George Whitefield Chadwick (November 13, 1854 – April 4, 1931) was an American composer. Along with John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, and Edward MacDowell, he was a representative composer of what is called the Sec ...
, who was then professor at the
New England Conservatory
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. The conservatory is located on Huntington Avenue along Avenue of the Arts (Boston), the Avenue of the Arts near Boston Symphony Ha ...
. She also studied, occasionally, with
John Knowles Paine
John Knowles Paine (January 9, 1839 – April 25, 1906) was the first United States, American-born composer to achieve fame for large-scale orchestral music. The senior member of a group of composers collectively known as the Boston Six, Paine wa ...
and
J. C. D. Parker, who were also members of the Second New England School.
Margaret composed over 200 songs, which were well received and often performed in concert halls throughout Boston. A. P. Schmidt Co. of Boston also published many of the songs. However, it was the April 1893 debut of her ''Dramatic Overture'', Op. 12, that made history. The
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
, under the direction of
Arthur Nikisch
Arthur Nikisch (12 October 185523 January 1922) was a Hungary, Hungarian conducting, conductor who performed internationally, holding posts in Boston, London, Leipzig and—most importantly—Berlin. He was considered an outstanding interpreter ...
, premiered the work, making the piece the first composition by a woman to be performed by a major American symphony orchestra. Though the piece did elicit some positive and constructive reviews, the ''Dramatic Overture'' was never repeated. Almost immediately after the performance by the Boston Symphony, a second overture, ''Witichis'', Op. 10, was performed at the 1893 World's Fair (Columbian Exposition) in Chicago under the direction of
Theodore Thomas. Other large works included compositions for voice and orchestra. B. J. Lang conducted some of Margaret's works. Margaret was very critical of her work, however, and was known to destroy pieces that she did not feel confident of. Consequently, none of her works for orchestra are extant, likely destroyed by Margaret herself.
After Benjamin Johnson Lang's death in 1909, Margaret, who never married, became principal caretaker of her mother and also saw to the family's estate, which was worth approximately at the time of her father's death.
Theodore Presser
The Theodore Presser Company is an American Music publisher (popular music), music publishing and Distribution (business), distribution company located in Malvern, Pennsylvania, formerly King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, and originally based in Br ...
published her final composition, ''Three Pianoforte Pieces for Young Players'', Op. 60, in 1919. After she stopped composing, Margaret devoted much of her energy to religious work. Though her family belonged to the
Unitarian Universalist
Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to:
Christian and Christian-derived theologies
A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism:
* Unitarianism (1565–present) ...
church, Margaret became a devout Episcopalian, and attended the
Church of the Advent in Boston. Between 1927 and 1939, she anonymously wrote, published and printed devotional pamphlets entitled "Messages from God" which were distributed throughout the United States and as far as Egypt. Using her own money to fund the project, Margaret recorded in an autobiographical note that over 6,000 copies of these books were produced and sent throughout the world, free of charge to the recipient.
Margaret also holds the record for the longest consecutive subscriber to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, totaling 91 years. In 1967 the orchestra performed a concert in honor of Margaret's 100th birthday. They also installed a small plaque on her seat, 1st Balcony, Right, B1, in honor of her dedication to the orchestra. Margaret died May 29, 1972, six months short of her 105th birthday. The Lang Family papers, including Margaret's scrapbooks and Frances Lang's personal diaries, are available in the Rare Books and Manuscript department of the
Boston Public Library
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth (formerly ''library of last recourse''), meaning all adult re ...
. She is one of the only known woman composers to pass their
centenary
A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century.
Notable events
Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include:
* Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
.
Music
Musicologist Alan Levy remarks that "Lang’s composition style was a mixture of German Romanticism and Impressionism, with relatively conservative use of harmonic dissonance and clear elements of Irish and Scottish folk melodies."
Several compositions are available in modern editions through Hildegard Publishing. These include ''Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures by Edward Lear'', Op. 42, ''O Jala'', ''Spinning Song'', ''Irish Love Song'', and ''Snowflakes'', as well as other songs and piano works in compilations with works by other women composers. Her ''Irish Love Song'' was a particular favorite among audiences and was recorded by several famous singers, including
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Ernestine Schumann-Heink (15 June 186117 November 1936) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American operatic dramatic contralto of German Bohemian descent. She was noted for the flexibility and wide range of her voice. Heink and Schumann were her two ...
and
Alma Gluck
Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano.
Biography
Gluck was born as Reba Feinsohn to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn. Gluck moved to the United States at a ...
. Many of the autograph copies of Margaret's songs can be found in the Arthur P. Schmidt papers in the Library of Congress.
Although Lang composed a number of orchestral works, they are all lost.
Of her many songs, the best known is "An Irish Love Song," Op. 22 (1894), which maintains a
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
influence.
Discography
Many of Margaret's songs were very popular during her lifetime. ''In the Twilight'' and ''Irish Love Song'' were the most performed. Many vocalists recorded versions of them and several of the recordings are available in a restored version.
*
Ernestine Schumann-Heink
Ernestine Schumann-Heink (15 June 186117 November 1936) was a Bohemian-born Austrian-American operatic dramatic contralto of German Bohemian descent. She was noted for the flexibility and wide range of her voice. Heink and Schumann were her two ...
: The Complete Recordings, Volume 1: 1900–09. Romophone, 1997.
*
Richard Crooks
Richard Alexander Crooks (June 26, 1900 – September 29, 1972) was an American tenor and a leading singer at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Biography
Crooks was born the second son of Alexander and Elizabeth Crooks on June 26, 1900, in Tren ...
in Songs and Ballads. Nimbus Records, 1997.
*
Alma Gluck
Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano.
Biography
Gluck was born as Reba Feinsohn to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn. Gluck moved to the United States at a ...
. Marston, 1997.
* ''"Ah! Love but a day": Songs and Spirituals by Women Composers''. Albany, N.Y.: Albany Records/Videmus, 2000.
* Love is Everywhere: Selected Songs of Margaret Ruthven Lang. Donald George (Tenor) & Lucy Mauro (Piano). Delos Productions, Inc. 2011.
Amazon
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References
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
;Early
*
*
on Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital li ...
*
;Modern
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*
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*
Further reading
''See for a comprehensive bibliography''
;Early
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*
;Modern
*
*
*
* Later published in 2003 by UMI
Umi or UMI may refer to: Geography
* Umi, Iran, a village in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran
* Umi, Fukuoka, a town in Japan People
* Umi-a-Liloa, king of the island of Hawaii
*Umi Dachlan, Indonesian female artist
*Umi Garrett, American female pian ...
Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor ()
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External links
Lang-dedicated Website
created by James W. Johnston, with extensive biographical, contextual, and archival material
Profile on Lang
by the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...
Profile
on the Song of America site
Works by Margaret Ruthven Lang
in the Ball State University Digital Media Repository.
;Scores
*
*
* Margaret Ruthven Lan
scores and audio
from the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Margaret Ruthven
1867 births
1972 deaths
American women centenarians
American women composers
American composers
Musicians from Boston
Pupils of George Whitefield Chadwick