Marga Richter (1926- )
Visual
experiences and nature are the primary inspirations for Marga Richter's
music. Sources as varied as the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe, a New
England winter scene and the exotic landscape of Tibet have all served
to trigger the composer's creative responses. A daughter of American
soprano Inez Chandler and granddaughter (on her father's side) of
German composer/condctor Richard Richter, Marga Richter was born in
Reedsburg, Wisconsin, and received her early musical training
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 1943, the family moved - en masse - to
New York so that she could enroll at the Juilliard School where she
majored in composition with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti,
and studied piano with Rosalyn Tureck, receiving a Master's Degree in
1951. While still in her twenties, a series of pieces commissioned by
MGM Records brought national recognition. Over the years the Richter
œuvre has grown to include virtually every genre of composition: solo,
chamber, choral and orchestral works. Among her signature pieces are
Blackberry Vines and Winter Fruit, an orchestral work evoking a Vermont
winter; the Landscapes of the Mind series, three works - Landscapes of
the Mind I, a piano concerto, Landscapes of the Mind II for violin and
piano, and Landscapes of the Mind III for piano, violin and cello -
derived from Richter's response to two paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe
(Sky Above Clouds II and Pelvis I); a 1988 work, Qhanri (snow mountain)
for cello and piano, subtitled Tibetan Variations, Richter's musical
portrait of the landscape and people of that country, and Lament
for
string orchestra, an enduring early piece that is often performed and
has been recorded twice. Richter's music has been played by numerous
orchestras here and abroad, including the Minnesota Orchestra, the
Milwaukee and Atlanta Symphonies, the London Philharmonic, the Civic
Orchestra of Chicago and the Buffalo Philharmonic. One of her
best-known works, the ballet Abyss, has been performed on five
continents by the Harkness Ballet (which commissioned it in 1964), and
subsequently entered the repertory of companies. Among the artists who
have championed her music are Jessye Norman, Menahem Pressler, William
Masselos, the late Natalie Hinderas, and Daniel Heifetz who included
her Landscapes of the Mind II in his prize-winning Tchaikovsky
Competition concert in Moscow. She has received grants, awards and
commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Martha Baird
Rockefeller Fund, the National Federation of Music Clubs,
Meet the Composer and ASCAP.COMPOSITIONS Marga Richter Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Jabberwocky, singer/narrator and piano (1941) [text: Lewis Carroll]
Ballet of the Pixilated Penguins, piano (1944)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1948)
Overture, orchestra (1949) [thesis for B.S. at Juilliard School]
Transmutation, song cycle (8 songs), soprano and piano (1949) [text: Chinese poems translated by H. Hart]
Three Songs, medium voice and piano (1950) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
Two Chinese Songs, soprano and piano (1953)
Sonata for Piano (1954)
She at His Funeral, soprano and piano (1954) [text: Thomas Hardy]
Concerto for Piano and Violas, Cellos and Basses (1955)
Three Songs of Madness and Death, chorus (1955) [text: John Webster]
Lament, string orchestra (1956)
Aria and Toccata, viola and string orchestra (1957) [also for viola and piano]
Melodrama, a suite for 2 pianos (1953/1958)
String Quartet No. 2 (1958)
Ricercar, high school band (1958) [also for brass quintet]
Variations on a Sarabande, orchestra (1959)
Eight Pieces for Piano (1961)
- Eight Pieces for Orchestra (1961) [??arr. of work for piano]
Darkening of the Light, viola (1961) [arr. 1976 for solo cello]
Psalm 91, chorus (1963)
Fragments, piano (1963) - ??arr. for orch, 1978???
Variations on a Theme by Latimer, piano 4-hands (1952/1964)
Abyss, ballet (1964) [also for orchestra]
Three Christmas Songs, female or children's chorus and 2 flutes (or piano) (1964)
Suite for Violin and Piano (1964)
Seek Him, chorus (1965) [text: from Amos]
Soundings, harpsichord (1965)
Bird of Yearning, ballet (1967) [also for orchestra] [originally for Harkness Ballet Foundation]
Landscapes of the Mind II, violin and piano (1971)
Landscapes of the Mind I, piano and orchestra (1974)
One for Two and Two for Three, trombone duet and trio (1947/1974)
Short Prelude in Baroque Style, harpsichord or piano (1974)
Variations on a Theme by Neithart von Reuenthal, organ (1974)
Pastorale, 2 oboes (1975)
Blackberry Vines and Winter Fruit, orchestra (1976)
Country Auction, band (1976)
Remembrances, piano (1977)
Fragments (5 pieces), orchestra (1978) [??arr. of work for piano]
Requiem, piano (1978)
Landscapes of the Mind III, piano trio (violin, cello and piano) (1979)
Spectral Chimes/Enshrouded Hills, 3 orchestral quintets (winds, brass, strings) and orchestra (1980)
To whom?, chorus (1980) [text: Virginia Woolf]
Exequy, piano (1980)
Do Not Press My Hands, chorus (1981) [text: Gabriela Mistral]
Sonora, 2 clarinets and piano (1981)
Düsseldorf Concerto, solo flute, solo viola, solo harp, str quintet & timpani/percussion (1982) [also chamber orch version]
Three Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, female chorus (1982)
Into What Unknown Chamber, medium voice and piano (1950/1983) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
Exequy, oboe, clarinet, cello and piano (1983) [??arr. of work for piano]
Lament for Art O'Leary, soprano and piano (1983) [text: Eileen O'Leary] - multiple songs???
Seacliff Variations, violin, viola, cello and piano (1984)
Out of Shadows and Solitude, orchestra (1985)
Sieben Lieder (7 songs), voice and piano (1985) [text: Francisco Tanzer]
Obsessions, trombone (1986)
Qhanri (Snow Mountain), "Tibetan Variations", cello and piano (1988)
Into My Heart, chorus and chamber ensemble (or pf 4-hands) (1990) [texts: Frost, Housman, Martin, Schurr, Skelly, Whitman]
Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark, orchestra (1991)
- Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark No. 2, organ (1992) [arr. from orchestral work, 1991]
- Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark No. 3, piano (1993) [arr. from orchestral work, 1991]
Variations and Interludes on Themes from Monteverdi and Bach, concerto for pf, vln, vc and orchestra (1992; rev. 1994)
[originally titled " - - Beside the Still Waters"]
Prelude for Piano (In Memoriam) (1993)
Elegy, violin (or flute) and piano (or guitar), w/opt. cello (1994)
Sarah Do Not Mourn Me Dead, medium voice and piano (1995) [text: Major Sullivan Ballou]
Riders to the Sea, chamber opera in one act (1996) [libretto: John M. Synge]
Erin Odyssey (14 limericks), medium voice and piano (2000) [text: Marga Richter]
Testament, song cycle, contralto, english horn, piano (2001) [text: Anne M. Lindbergh]
Dew-drops on a Lotus Leaf, counter-tenor (tenor or contralto) and str qt or pf (2002) [text: Ryokwan; trans. Jakob Fischer]
Air #1, piano (2003)
Air #2, oboe and bassoon (2003)
Kyrie, string orchestra (or string quintet/quartet???) (2004)
Three Improvisations for Piano (2004)
Divers (Diverse) Divertimento, flute, oboe (English horn) and guitar (2005)
- Grave (2005)
- Air #3 (2004)
- and other mvts
Grave for Piano (2005)
Regrets, piano (2005)
Bye-bye Bake Shoppe, narrator and string quartet (2005) [text: Elisabeth T. Raine]
Three Songs of Celebration, tenor and flute (picc./alto flute) (2005) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
Not Your Grandmother's Four-hand Piece, piano 4-hands (2006)
Goat Songs (6 songs), medium voice and piano (2006) [text: Marcia Slatkin]
Fandango Fantasy, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2007)
Serenade, flute, harp and perussion (2007)
Hmage J. S. Bach, piano (2007)
Two Sonnets, tenor and piano (2007) [text: Shakespeare]
Two Duets for Two Violins (2009)
Four Miniatures, piano (2009)
Serenade No. 2, guitar and piano (2010)
Threnody for String Trio (2010)
Reveries on a Mountainside, clarinet (2010)
Soliloquy for Piano (2010)
WORKS BY GENRE Marga Richter Links ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Abyss, ballet (1964)
Bird of Yearning, ballet (1967) [originally for Harkness Ballet Foundation]
Riders to the Sea, chamber opera in one act (1996) [libretto: John M. Synge]
Orchestra
Overture, orchestra (1949) [thesis for B.S. at Juilliard School]
Lament, string orchestra (1956)
Variations on a Sarabande, orchestra (1959)
Eight Pieces for Orchestra (1961) [??arr. of work for piano]
Abyss, orchestra (1964) [originally a ballet]
Bird of Yearning, orchestra (1967) [originally for Harkness Ballet Foundation]
Blackberry Vines and Winter Fruit, orchestra (1976)
Fragments (5 pieces), orchestra (1978) [??arr. of work for piano]
Spectral Chimes/Enshrouded Hills, 3 orchestral quintets (winds, brass, strings) and orchestra (1980)
Düsseldorf Concerto, chamber orchestra (1982) [also version for chamber ensemble]
Out of Shadows and Solitude, orchestra (1985)
Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark, orchestra (1991)
Kyrie, string orchestra (or string quartet) (2004)
Band
Ricercar, high school band (1958) [also for brass quintet]
Country Auction, band (1976)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Concerto for Piano and Violas, Cellos and Basses (1955)
Aria and Toccata, viola and string orchestra (1957) [also for viola and piano]
Landscapes of the Mind I, piano and orchestra (1974)
Variations and Interludes on Themes from Monteverdi and Bach, concerto for pf, vln, vc and orchestra (1992; rev. 1994)
[originally titled " - - Beside the Still Waters"]
Choral
Three Songs of Madness and Death, chorus (1955) [text: John Webster]
- A Dirge
- All the Flowers of Spring
- Madman’s Song
Psalm 91, chorus (1963)
Three Christmas Songs, female or children's chorus and 2 flutes (or piano) (1964)
- Christmas song
- Cradle hymn
- Christmas carol
Seek Him, chorus (1965) [text: from Amos]
To whom?, chorus (1980) [text: Virginia Woolf]
Do Not Press My Hands, chorus (1981) [text: Gabriela Mistral]
Three Songs on Poems of Emily Dickinson, female chorus (1982)
- God made a little gentian
- I like to see it lap the miles
- 'Twas just this time, last year, I died
Into My Heart, chorus and chamber ensemble (or pf 4-hands) (1990) [texts: Frost, Housman, Martin, Schurr, Skelly, Whitman]
Chamber
String Quartet No. 2 (1958)
Ricercare, 2 trumpets, trombone (or horn) and trombone (or tuba) (1958) [also for high school band]
One for Two and Two for Three, trombone duet and trio (1947/1974)
Pastorale, 2 oboes (1975)
Landscapes of the Mind III, piano trio (violin, cello and piano) (1979)
Sonora, 2 clarinets and piano (1981)
Düsseldorf Concerto, solo flute, solo viola, solo harp, str quintet & timpani/percussion (1982) [also chamber orch version]
Exequy, oboe, clarinet, cello and piano (1983) [??arr. of work for piano]
Seacliff Variations, violin, viola, cello and piano (1984)
Elegy, violin (or flute) and piano (or guitar), w/opt. cello (1994)
Air #2, oboe and bassoon (2003)
Kyrie, string quintet (or string orchestra) (2004)
Divers (Diverse) Divertimento, flute, oboe (English horn) and guitar (2005)
- Grave (2005)
- Air #3 (2004)
- and other mvts
Fandango Fantasy, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2007)
Serenade, flute, harp and perussion (2007)
Two Duets for Two Violins (2009)
Serenade No. 2, guitar and piano (2010)
Threnody for String Trio (2010)
Instrument and Piano
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1948)
Aria and Toccata, viola and piano (1957) [also for viola and string orchestra]
Suite for Violin and Piano (1964)
Landscapes of the Mind II, violin and piano (1971)
Qhanri (Snow Mountain), "Tibetan Variations", cello and piano (1988)
Solo Instrument
Darkening of the Light, viola (1961) [arr. 1976 for solo cello]
Obsessions, trombone (1986)
Reveries on a Mountainside, clarinet (2010)
Piano/Organ/Harpsichord
Ballet of the Pixilated Penguins, piano (1944)
Sonata for Piano (1954)
Melodrama, a suite for 2 pianos (1953/1958)
Eight Pieces for Piano (1961)
Fragments, piano (1963)
Variations on a Theme by Latimer, piano 4-hands (1952/1964)
Soundings, harpsichord (1965)
Short Prelude in Baroque Style, harpsichord or piano (1974)
Variations on a Theme by Neithart von Reuenthal, organ (1974)
Remembrances, piano (1977)
Requiem, piano (1978)
Exequy, piano (1980)
Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark No. 2, organ (1992) [arr. from orchestral work, 1991]
Quantum Quirks of a Quick Quaint Quark No. 3, piano (1993) [arr. from orchestral work, 1991]
Prelude for Piano (In Memoriam) (1993)
Air #1, piano (2003)
Three Improvisations for Piano (2004)
Grave for Piano (2005)
Regrets, piano (2005)
Not Your Grandmother's Four-hand Piece, piano 4-hands (2006)
Hmage J. S. Bach, piano (2007)
Four Miniatures, piano (2009)
Soliloquy for Piano (2010)
Vocal
Jabberwocky, singer/narrator and piano (1941) [text: Lewis Carroll]
Transmutation, song cycle (8 songs), soprano and piano (1949) [text: Chinese poems translated by H. Hart]
- Twilight [text: Ch'en Yun]
- The Orchid [text: Liu Sung]
- Change [text: Hsiao Kang]
- Desolation [text: Chang Chi]
- On Seeing a Red Cockatoo on the Road to Mount Shang [text: Po Chu I]
- Sleeplessness
- A Song of Chang An
- Transmutation
Three Songs, medium voice and piano (1950) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
- A butterfly beats upon my window
- Tense day
- Shadows of dead flowers
Two Chinese Songs, soprano and piano (1953)
She at His Funeral, soprano and piano (1954) [text: Thomas Hardy]
Into What Unknown Chamber, medium voice and piano (1950/1983) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
Lament for Art O'Leary, soprano and piano (1983) [text: Eileen O'Leary] - multiple songs???
Sieben Lieder (7 songs), voice and piano (1985) [text: Francisco Tanzer]
Sarah Do Not Mourn Me Dead, medium voice and piano (1995) [text: Major Sullivan Ballou]
Erin Odyssey (14 limericks), medium voice and piano (2000) [text: Marga Richter]
Testament, song cycle, contralto, english horn, piano (2001) [text: Anne M. Lindbergh]
Dew-drops on a Lotus Leaf, counter-tenor (tenor or contralto) and str qt or pf (2002) [text: Ryokwan; trans. Jakob Fischer]
Bye-bye Bake Shoppe, narrator and string quartet (2005) [text: Elisabeth T. Raine]
Three Songs of Celebration, tenor and flute (picc./alto flute) (2005) [text: Phyllis Roberts]
Goat Songs (6 songs), medium voice and piano (2006) [text: Marcia Slatkin]
Two Sonnets, tenor and piano (2007) [text: Shakespeare]
MARGA RICHTER LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Composer Marga Richter - A Conversation with Bruce Duffie (Bruce Duffie, kcstudio.com)
Women of Influence in Contemporary Music: Nine American Composers (Michael K. Slayton, Scarecrow Press)
Composer's website . . . contact Marga Richter: here
Marga Richter @ Wikipedia
Marga Richter @ Wikipedia.nl (in Dutch)
Marga Richter @ Carl Fischer
Marga Richter @ Facebook
Marga Richter @ InstantEncore
Marga Richter @ Leonarda Records also here and here
Marga Richter @ Long Island Composers Alliance
Marga Richter @ The Living Composers Project
Marga Richter @ MusicWeb International
Marga Richter @ Naxos
Marga Richter @ The New York Times
Marga Richter @ New York Women Composer, Inc.
Marga Richter @ Sibelius Music
Marga Richter @ Sigma Alpha Iota
Publisher
Marga Richter @ Carl Fischer
Marga Richter @ Shrewsbury Press
Marga Richter @ Sibelius Music
Streaming Audio
Marga Richter @ Amazon.com
Marga Richter @ CD Universe
Recordings
Marga Richter @ Composer's website
Marga Richter @ Amazon.com
Marga Richter @ ArkivMusic
Marga Richter @ CD Universe
Marga Richter @ ClassicsOnline
Marga Richter @ Leonarda Records
Video
Marga Richter @ YouTube
Marga Richter @ Google Video
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