Ruth Crawford Seeger
Encyclopedia
Ruth Crawford Seeger born Ruth Porter Crawford, was a modernist composer
and an American folk music specialist.
. These works favored dissonance and post-tonal harmonies; they also utilized irregular rhythms and meters. Her technique may have been influenced by the music of Schoenberg
, although they met only briefly during her studies in Germany
. She was encouraged and guided by her teacher-then-husband Charles Seeger
's dissonant counterpoint, as well—and also developed her own methods of composing.
Ruth Crawford was born in East Liverpool, Ohio
, and began her music education at age 6 with her first piano lesson. Later she studied with her mother. She studied with Madame Valborg Collett later on, who was a student of Agathe Grøndahl. Later, she continued at the American Conservatory of Music
in Chicago
with Heniot Levy and Louise Robyn. She learned composition from Adolf Weidig
, whose instruction accelerated her skill. But her study under Djane Lavoie Herz, a disciple of Scriabin, was important for the social and intellectual world it opened for her. During this time, she met Cowell, Rudhyar, and the leading Chicago poet Carl Sandburg
whose writings she eventually set to music.
In 1930 she became the first woman to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship
and went to Berlin
and Paris
(Hisama 2001, 3; Tick 2001). Despite being in the heart of German modernism, she chose to study and compose alone. Yet, through letters, Seeger’s ideas were crucial to the development of her style and selections. She and Seeger
married in 1932 after her subsequent trip to Paris
. Notably, at the ISCM Festival in Amsterdam (1933) her Three Songs for voice, oboe, percussion and strings represented America (Tick 2001).
The family, including Mike Seeger
, Peggy Seeger
, Barbara, Penny, and stepson Pete Seeger
, moved to Washington D.C. in 1936 after Charles’ appointment to the music division of the Resettlement Administration
. While in Washington D.C. Crawford Seeger worked closely with John
and Alan Lomax
at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress
to preserve and teach American folk music. Her arrangements and interpretations of American Traditional folk songs are among the most respected including transcriptions for: American Folk Songs for Children, Animal Folksongs for Children (1950) and American Folk Songs for Christmas (1953) Our Singing Country and Folk Song USA by John and Alan Lomax. However she is most well known for Our Singing Country (1941.) She also composed Rissolty Rossolty, an ‘American Fantasia for Orchestra’ based on folk tunes, for the CBS radio series American School of the Air.
She briefly returned to her modernist roots in early 1952 with Suite for Wind Quintet. She died the following year, from intestinal cancer, in Chevy Chase, Maryland
.
Crawford began her career as an experimental composer, but the label only truly applies to her early works. Her work in traditional music preservation may have come from her interest in Eastern mysticism and the musical complexities of Native American music. Her conceptual palette was affected by American literary transcendentalism
as well. As a composer, she may be thought of as the musical bridge between the modern and transcendental movements.
Crawford’s reputation as a composer chiefly rests on her New York compositions written between 1930 and 1933, which are concerned with dissonant counterpoint and American serial
techniques. She was one of the first composers to extend serialism to musical elements other than pitch, and to develop formal plans based on serial operations (Tick 2001).
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and an American folk music specialist.
Life
In the twenties and early thirties, Crawford Seeger wrote atonal works influenced by Alexander ScriabinAlexander Scriabin
Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin was a Russian composer and pianist who initially developed a lyrical and idiosyncratic tonal language inspired by the music of Frédéric Chopin. Quite independent of the innovations of Arnold Schoenberg, Scriabin developed an increasingly atonal musical system,...
. These works favored dissonance and post-tonal harmonies; they also utilized irregular rhythms and meters. Her technique may have been influenced by the music of Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
, although they met only briefly during her studies in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. She was encouraged and guided by her teacher-then-husband Charles Seeger
Charles Seeger
Charles Seeger, Jr. was a noted musicologist, composer, and teacher. He was the father of iconic American folk singer Pete Seeger .-Life:...
's dissonant counterpoint, as well—and also developed her own methods of composing.
Ruth Crawford was born in East Liverpool, Ohio
East Liverpool, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,089 people, 5,261 households, and 3,424 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,010.3 people per square mile . There were 5,743 housing units at an average density of 1,320.8 per square mile...
, and began her music education at age 6 with her first piano lesson. Later she studied with her mother. She studied with Madame Valborg Collett later on, who was a student of Agathe Grøndahl. Later, she continued at the American Conservatory of Music
American Conservatory of Music
The American Conservatory of Music was a major American school of music founded in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt . The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It was located in Chicago until 1991 when its Board of Trustees — chaired by Frederic Wilbur Hickman...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
with Heniot Levy and Louise Robyn. She learned composition from Adolf Weidig
Adolf Weidig
Adolf H. A. Weidig was an American composer of German origin, born in Hamburg; he came to the United States in 1892. He wrote numerous pieces for orchestra, including a symphony and the tone poem Semiramis; among his chamber works are three string quartets and a string quintet. He also wrote songs...
, whose instruction accelerated her skill. But her study under Djane Lavoie Herz, a disciple of Scriabin, was important for the social and intellectual world it opened for her. During this time, she met Cowell, Rudhyar, and the leading Chicago poet Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg
Carl Sandburg was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, two for his poetry and another for a biography of Abraham Lincoln. H. L. Mencken called Carl Sandburg "indubitably an American in every pulse-beat."-Biography:Sandburg was born in Galesburg,...
whose writings she eventually set to music.
In 1930 she became the first woman to receive the Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
and went to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
(Hisama 2001, 3; Tick 2001). Despite being in the heart of German modernism, she chose to study and compose alone. Yet, through letters, Seeger’s ideas were crucial to the development of her style and selections. She and Seeger
Seeger
-Seeger family:*Charles Seeger , American musicologist, composer, and teacher; Constance Edson Seeger, violinist; first wife of Charles; 3 children"Seeger" may also reference either of two legal cases involving the individuals above:...
married in 1932 after her subsequent trip to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Notably, at the ISCM Festival in Amsterdam (1933) her Three Songs for voice, oboe, percussion and strings represented America (Tick 2001).
The family, including Mike Seeger
Mike Seeger
Mike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary...
, Peggy Seeger
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
, Barbara, Penny, and stepson Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, moved to Washington D.C. in 1936 after Charles’ appointment to the music division of the Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
. While in Washington D.C. Crawford Seeger worked closely with John
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
to preserve and teach American folk music. Her arrangements and interpretations of American Traditional folk songs are among the most respected including transcriptions for: American Folk Songs for Children, Animal Folksongs for Children (1950) and American Folk Songs for Christmas (1953) Our Singing Country and Folk Song USA by John and Alan Lomax. However she is most well known for Our Singing Country (1941.) She also composed Rissolty Rossolty, an ‘American Fantasia for Orchestra’ based on folk tunes, for the CBS radio series American School of the Air.
She briefly returned to her modernist roots in early 1952 with Suite for Wind Quintet. She died the following year, from intestinal cancer, in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland. In addition, a number of villages in the same area of Montgomery County include "Chevy Chase" in their names...
.
Crawford began her career as an experimental composer, but the label only truly applies to her early works. Her work in traditional music preservation may have come from her interest in Eastern mysticism and the musical complexities of Native American music. Her conceptual palette was affected by American literary transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the New England region of the United States as a protest against the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian...
as well. As a composer, she may be thought of as the musical bridge between the modern and transcendental movements.
Crawford’s reputation as a composer chiefly rests on her New York compositions written between 1930 and 1933, which are concerned with dissonant counterpoint and American serial
Serialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
techniques. She was one of the first composers to extend serialism to musical elements other than pitch, and to develop formal plans based on serial operations (Tick 2001).
Early
- Piano Prelude
- Sonata for Violin and Piano, 1926
- Suite, 5 Wind Instruments and Piano, 1927, rev. 1929
- Suite No. 2, for Strings, 1929
- Nine Preludes for Piano, 1928
- Five Songs to Poems by Carl Sandburg, 1929 (Home Thoughts, White Moon, Joy, Loam, Sunsets)
Middle
- A Piano Study in Mixed Accents, 1930
- 4 Diaphonic Suites, 1930
- String QuartetString Quartet (Crawford-Seeger)Ruth Crawford's String Quartet is "regarded as one of the finest modernist works of the genre" . The composition or piece is in four untitled movements.-First Movement:The first movement is a fine example of twelve-tone study...
, 1931 - Rat Riddles, 1932
- Two Ricercare (H.T. Tsiang): Sacco, Vanzetti - Chinaman, LaundrymanChinaman, Laundryman"Chinaman, Laundryman" is a song composed by Ruth Crawford Seeger. The song depicts the exploitation of an immigrant Chinese laundry worker.In 1932 Ruth Crawford Seeger composed two songs for a commission from the Society of Contemporary Music in Philadelphia, which she called Two Ricercari...
, 1932 - The Love at the Harp, 1932
Other works
- Adventures of Tom Thumb, 1925
- Music for Small Orchestra, 1926
- Kaleidoscopic Changes on an Original Theme Ending with a Fugue, 1924
- 5 Preludes, 1924–5
- 4 Preludes, 1927–8
- Study in Mixed Accents, 1930
- 3 Chants: no.1, To an Unkind God, no.2 To an Angel, no.3, female chorus, 1930
- Rissolty Rossolty, 1941
Sources
- Gaume, Matilda (1986). Ruth Crawford Seeger: Memoirs, Memories, Music. Composers of North America, no. 3. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press.
- Hisama, Ellie M. (2001). Gendering Musical Modernism: The Music of Ruth Crawford, Marion Bauer, and Miriam Gideon. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-64030-X.
- Tick, Judith (1999). "Ruth Crawford Seeger: A Composer's Search for American Music". Ethnomusicology, Vol. 43, No. 1 (Winter), pp. 171–74.
- Tick, Judith (2001). "Crawford (Seeger), Ruth (Porter)". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley SadieStanley SadieStanley Sadie CBE was a leading British musicologist, music critic, and editor. He was editor of the sixth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians , which was published as the first edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Sadie was educated at St Paul's School,...
and John TyrrellJohn Tyrrell (professor of music)John Tyrrell was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia in 1942. He studied at the universities of Cape Town, Oxford and Brno. In 2000 he was appointed Research Professor at Cardiff University....
. London: Macmillan Publishers. - Vogel, Scott. (2001). "Composer Chose ‘Life’ over Work: Ruth Crawford-Seeger Never Revived Her Promising Musical Career]". Honolulu Star-Bulletin (January 30).
External links
- Ruth Crawford Seeger (on Peggyseeger.com)
- Ruth Crawford Seeger Biography in 600 words by David Lewis with a note by Peggy SeegerPeggy SeegerMargaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
- Institute for Studies in American Music (ISAM) Newsletter: Ruth Crawford Seeger's Contributions to Musical Modernism by Joseph N. Straus, Fall 2001 Volume XXXI, No. 1
- Art of the States: Ruth Crawford Seeger Nine Preludes (1924-1928)
- Del Sol Quartet: Tear includes Seeger's Andante from quartet: (1931) played by Del Sol QuartetDel Sol QuartetThe Del Sol Quartet is a string quartet based in San Francisco, California. Del Sol is known for actively working with living composers from a wide range of cultural perspectives, and recording and performing exclusively 20th and 21st century music...