Lang, Margaret Ruthven (1867–1972)

American composer whose songs were included in the repertoire of leading concert singers of her day. Born Margaret Ruthven Lang in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1867; died in Boston on May 30, 1972; daughter of Benjamin Johnson Lang (who conducted Boston's Cecilia and Apollo Clubs) and Frances Morse (Burrage) Lang; studied piano and composition with her father; studied violin under Louis Schmidt in Boston and under Drechsler and Abel in Munich; also studied composition with Victor Gluth in Munich; studied orchestration under G.W. Chadwick and E.A. MacDowell; never married.

Had first works—five songs—included in a Boston recital and reviewed favorably (December 14, 1887); had one of her songs performed in Paris during the World's Exposition (1889) and at the inaugural of the Lincoln Concert Hall in Washington, D.C. (1890); in time, enjoyed the inclusion of her songs in the repertoire of leading concert singers, including Ernestine Schumann-Heink ; was the first American woman composer to have a composition played by a major orchestra when the Boston Symphony Orchestra performed her Dramatic Overture, Opus 12 (1893); had another orchestral composition performed three times the same year at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893); ceased composing (1917) but retained a strong interest in music for the rest of her life; in her honor, Boston Symphony Orchestra gave a concert for her 100th birthday (1967).

It would be easy to emphasize her remarkable longevity as being the greatest single accomplishment of Margaret Ruthven Lang, who remained mentally active and intellectually curious as a centenarian. Her greatest legacy to music lovers and women was of course not the length of her life but what she had achieved. The creative part of Lang's days ended at age 50 in 1917, when she decided for reasons best known to herself to stop composing. But what she had accomplished prior to that year was impressive by almost any standard. Lang's father was a talented if domineering man who acted as his gifted daughter's mentor, deciding which of her compositions were of sufficient quality to be submitted for publication, and which ones were not. Her self-confidence was, however, quite high, because she continued to compose throughout her most productive decade, the 1890s. It was in these years, on April 7, 1813, that one of her orchestral works, the Dramatic Overture, became the first composition by a woman to be performed by a major symphony orchestra, when the Boston Symphony under the illustrious German conductor Artur Nikisch gave it its premiere. Other orchestral works by Margaret Lang were performed the same year at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition, and in 1901 at an allwomen's composers concert presented by the Baltimore Symphony. Unfortunately, modern listeners cannot judge the quality of these works because their scores have been lost. What is clear is the fact that Margaret Ruthven Lang was an individual of great talent and spirited temperament and should be remembered as a major figure in the formative years of American women's participation in national cultural life.

John Haag , Athens, Georgia