Josephine Lang: Her Life and SongsJosephine Lang (1815-80) was one of the most gifted, respected, prolific, and widely published song composers of the nineteenth century, yet her life and works have remained virtually unknown. Now, this carefully researched, compelling, and poignant study recognizes the composer for her remarkable accomplishments. Based on years of study of unpublished letters, musical autographs, reviews, and the autobiographical poetry of Lang's husband, Reinhold Köstlin, the biographical portions of the book offer a stunning portrait of the composer as a woman and an artist. In-depth musical analyses interwoven with the biography will be illuminating to scholars and to musicians of all skill levels. The analyses reveal Lang's sensitivity to her chosen poetic texts, as well as the validity of her claim that her songs were her diary; the authors demonstrate that many of the songs are directly connected to the events of Lang's life. The analyses are illustrated by an abundance of musical examples, including a number of complete songs. A companion website, featuring 30 songs by Lang recorded by the authors, complements the text. |
Contents
3 | |
9 | |
The 1830s Significant Contacts and Friendships | 35 |
Photo gallery | 72 |
Josephine Lang and Christian Reinhold Köstlin | 73 |
1842 to 1856 The Early Years in Tübingen | 115 |
1856 to 1867 The Difficult Years | 149 |
Langs Final Years | 183 |
Josephine Lang as a Person and as a Composer | 221 |
Thirty Songs of Josephine Lang with Translations | 235 |
Notes | 251 |
Selected Bibliography | 291 |
Index of Cited Compositions | 295 |
General Index | 299 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abschied accessed 13 July album appeared artistic August begins cadence Calatin Capo Carl Müller chord chromatic chromaticism Clara Schumann composer composition copy dated dear death diary dissonance dominant Eichthal example expressed farewell Fasz Felix Mendelssohn Fellinger MSS Ferdinand Hiller final four-bar Franz Lachner GdMf H. A. Köstlin harmony HASK heart Herz Hiller MSS hist hypermeasure hypermeter hypermetric Ibid introduction Josephine Josephine Lang Justinus Kerner Köstlin MSS Köstlin wrote Köstlin’s poem Kreuth Lang’s autographs Lang’s music Lang’s setting Lang’s songs leap Lebensabriß Liebe Lieder manuscripts Marie Jäger marriage Mathildenhöhle melody Mendelssohn MSS mentioned Meow mode mixture Munich Nacht performed pianist piano poet poetry postlude referred Reinhold Köstlin Robert Schumann Schebest score September singer stanza Stephen Heller Stieler Stuttgart Tegernsee Therese tion tonic Tübingen Unpublished poem Vienna vocal line vocal phrase vocal portion voice Wasserfrau Werner words wrote to Hiller