Role

:

Composer

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

July 3, 1901 in East Liverpool, OH

Death

:

November 18, 1953 in Chevy Chase, MD

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Vocal

 

Ruth Crawford Seeger was an American composer, musicologist, and folk music collector who made significant contributions to the development of modernist music in the United States. Born on July 3, 1901, in East Liverpool, Ohio, Seeger grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at a young age. Her mother was a pianist and her father was a music teacher, and both encouraged her musical pursuits. Seeger attended the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, where she studied composition with Adolf Weidig and piano with Rudolph Ganz. She also studied with composer and theorist Charles Seeger, whom she later married. Together, they had three children, including the famous folk singers Pete Seeger and Peggy Seeger. In the 1920s, Seeger began to experiment with modernist techniques in her compositions, including dissonance, polyrhythm, and atonality. Her early works, such as "Diaphonic Suite No. 1" and "Preludes for Piano," were well-received by critics and established her as a leading figure in the American modernist movement. In the 1930s, Seeger turned her attention to folk music, collecting and transcribing traditional songs from various regions of the United States. She believed that folk music was an important part of American culture and sought to preserve it for future generations. Her work as a folk music collector and scholar culminated in the publication of the influential book "American Folk Songs for Children" in 1948. Despite her contributions to modernist music and folk music scholarship, Seeger's career was cut short by health problems. She suffered from a debilitating form of arthritis that made it difficult for her to play the piano and compose. She died on November 18, 1953, at the age of 52. Seeger's legacy as a composer and folk music collector has continued to influence generations of musicians. Her modernist compositions are still performed and studied today, and her work as a folk music collector has inspired countless musicians to explore traditional music from around the world.

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