This is the first full-length introduction to the life and works of significant American composer Marga Richter (born 1926), who has written more than one hundred works for orchestra, chamber ensemble, dance, opera, voice, chorus, piano, organ, and harpsichord. Still actively composing in her eighties, Richter is particularly known for her large-scale works performed by ensembles such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and for other pieces performed by prominent artists including pianist Menahem Pressler, conductor Izler Solomon, and violinist Daniel Heifetz.  Interspersing consideration of Richter's musical works with discussion of her life, her musical style, and the origins and performances of her works, Sharon Mirchandani documents a successful composer's professional and private life throughout the twentieth century. Covering Richter's formative years, her influences, and the phases of her career from the 1950s to the present, Mirchandani closely examines Richter's many interesting, attractive musical works that draw inspiration from distinctly American, Irish/English, and Asian sources. Drawing extensively on interviews with the composer, Mirchandani also provides detailed descriptions of Richter's scores and uses reviews and other secondary sources to provide contexts for her work, including their relationship to modern dance, to other musical styles, and to 1970s feminism. "Recommended."-- Choice "Marga Richter has long been a highly respected contributor to classical repertoire, and this volume is significant as the first focused examination of her life and oeuvre. It will be valued by musicians and nonmusicians alike who are interested in contemporary classical music."--Ellen K. Grolman, author of Joan Tower: The Comprehensive Bio-Bibliography Sharon Mirchandani is a professor of music history and theory at Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey. Marga Richter By Sharon Mirchandani UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS PRESS Copyright © 2012 Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-252-07891-0 Contents LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.......................................................ixPREFACE.....................................................................xiACKNOWLEDGMENTS.............................................................xv1. The Early Years: 1926–1951.........................................12. Modern Dance and the MGM Recordings: 1951–1960.....................243. Fragments: 1960s.........................................................464. Landscapes: 1970s........................................................585. Expansion: 1980s.........................................................856. Culmination: 1990s.......................................................1027. Blooming: 2000s–Present............................................113EPILOGUE....................................................................129CATALOG OF COMPOSITIONS.....................................................131NOTES.......................................................................137DISCOGR APHY................................................................149BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................153INDEX.......................................................................161 Chapter One 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 contribut