Marga Richter

1. The Early Years: 1926–1951

1 1 The Early Years 1926–1951 From the beginning I used all twelve tones of the chromatic scale as equals, although at times one tone might be more important than the others, and the music is essentially melodic. I recently looked at one of my early songs and was totally surprised to find that the piano part contains harmonic and melodic elements that I am still using—passages using only consecutive 7ths and 9ths, including a very dissonant passage in minor 9ths with a type of inner figuration which has remained as an element of my later style. This rather amazed me since at that time I had heard very little contemporary music (no Schoenberg, Stravinsky or Bartók for instance) and had played none. Marga Richter, 1979, quoted in LePage, Women Composers on october 21, 1926, Florence Marga Richter was born in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, the heart of the American Midwest. The strong musical upbringing Marga Richter received, combined with the midwestern values of hard work and independence, was the foundation out of which she grew to compose a large, distinctive body of works over her lifetime. Her music is primarily in the style and genres of Western art music and at times draws inspiration from distinctly U.S., Irish/English, and Asian sources. Nearly all of her music, including her orchestral works, has received performances. It has been rare for women to compose large-scale orchestral compositions, so her accomplishment in this area is particularly impressive.This book’s exploration of her life and works sheds light on Marga Richter’s contributions to women’s history and America’s musical history. Roots Richter’s mother, Inez Chandler Richter (née Davis) (1885–1956), was an American soprano whose operatic career was solely in Germany, just before, during, and 2 after World War I. She married William Chandler by the time they were listed in the 1910 census in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. On March 1, 1913, they went to Germany, where Will served in the diplomatic corps, and Inez studied voice with the renowned Madame Schoen-René, who prepared her for her Berlin debut recital in 1916. Marga recounts that just before the concert Will Chandler became ill with pneumonia, worsened by the climate in northern Germany. His doctor recommended that the couple decamp to southern Germany , but he refused to uproot Inez before her big debut. Three days before the concert, he died. Madame Schoen-René assumed Inez would cancel. Inez refused to do so, saying, “This man gave up his life for me. I will honor him by dedicating this concert to him.” Inez then returned, presumably with Chandler’s body, 1. Inez Chandler in Boccaccio as a peasant boy, ca. 1920. m a r g a r i c h t e r : The Early Years 3 to the United States and went to live with her parents in Reedsburg. In 1920 she returned to Germany to resume her operatic career. Richter’s father,Paul Richter,was a captain in the German army duringWorld War I.According to Marga, upon returning home to Einbeck in 1921 from captivity in Persia, he ventured out to the local opera house specifically to see and hear Inez Chandler, the soprano he was told was too “snooty” to mingle with the local lads. He fell in love on the spot, went backstage to meet her, stayed four hours, and “sealed the deal.” (He was a born salesman, making his career as an insurance agent, as an assessor, and running a local newspaper.) They were married in 1922 and immediately came to the United States and settled in Reedsburg,Wisconsin, where Marga and her older sister Rena were born. In 1927 the family moved to Minneapolis, where her brother Paul was born in 1929.1 In 1932 they moved once again, to Robbinsdale, a suburb of Minneapolis, where they stayed until 1943. Marga’s paternal grandfather, Richard Richter, was a composer, municipal orchestra conductor, and music teacher in Einbeck, Germany.Though she never met him, she did play one of his piano pieces, Unter den Linden. He refused to teach music to his own children, but Marga’s father taught himself to play the piano and had a lifelong passion for music. Marga met her paternal grandmother just once when she visited the United States and stayed with Marga’s mother and father for a time. Marga’s...