Josephine Lang (1815-80) was one of the most gifted, respected, prolific, and widely published song composers of the nineteenth century, yet her life and works have remained virtually unknown. Now, this carefully researched, compelling, and poignant study recognizes the composer for her remarkable accomplishments. Based on years of study of unpublished letters, musical autographs, reviews, and the autobiographical poetry of Lang's husband, Reinhold Köstlin, the biographical portions of the book offer a stunning portrait of the composer as a woman and an artist. In-depth musical analyses interwoven with the biography will be illuminating to scholars and to musicians of all skill levels. The analyses reveal Lang's sensitivity to her chosen poetic texts, as well as the validity of her claim that her songs were her diary; the authors demonstrate that many of the songs are directly connected to the events of Lang's life. The analyses are illustrated by an abundance of musical examples, including a number of complete songs. A companion CD, on which the authors have recorded 30 songs by Lang, complements the text.

Harald Krebs' profile page

Sharon Krebs' profile page

Harald Krebs is Professor of Music at the University of Victoria. His book, Fantasy Pieces: Metrical Dissonance in the Music of Robert Schumann (Oxford 1999), was awarded the Society for Music Theory's Wallace Berry Award in 2002. He has published widely on 19th- and early 20th-century music, and has lectured and performed as a pianist throughout North America and Europe. Sharon Krebs holds degrees in human physiology and Germanic Studies. She is active as a singer and performs frequently in Canada, the United States, and Europe. She is the author of several articles on Josephine Lang and Reinhold Köstlin.

"Long overdue, a skillful blend of biography and musical analysis, with rewarding, close, and sensitive readings of many of Josephine Lang's Lieder, her acknowledged 'diary.' The Krebs' research should go a long way toward reclaiming an unjustly neglected composer and reminding us how much of nineteenth-century musical life remains terra incognita."--R. Larry Todd, Arts and Sciences Professor, Duke University, and author of Mendelssohn: A Life in Music

"Here it is: the first comprehensive study of this unduly neglected 19th-century composer. Krebs and Krebs offer a rich portrait of Lang's life and career, and especially open our minds and senses to her magnificent Lieder. With this book and companion CD, Lang's music finally gets the recognition it deserves and joins the ranks of great German art-song repertoire of the Romantic period."--Marcia J. Citron, Lovett Distinguished Service Professor of Musicology, Rice University, and author of Gender and the Musical Canon

"Josephine Lang, an important song composer from the mid-19th century, has had to wait a long time for an account of her life and works worthy of her prodigious gifts. At last we have this superb treatment by Harald and Sharon Krebs, steeped in the primary sources, rich in analytical detail, and accompanied by numerous score excerpts and recordings of thirty of Lang's songs performed by the authors. This is as thorough and engaging a treatment of Lang's life and works as we are ever likely to have."--Joseph N. Straus, Professor of Music Theory, CUNY Graduate Center