Presenter(s): Elizabeth Soper
Faculty Mentor(s): Stephen Rodgers
Poster 143
Session: Social Sciences & Humanities
Josephine Lang is one of the few documented women composers from 19th-century art songs and analysis of her work is crucial for having a comprehensive knowledge of composers from this era. While research suggests the male composers from this era played a large role in Lang’s success, an equally important relationship was her friendship with Agnes von Calatin, an underrepresented female poet. This friendship was a great benefit to Lang’s career as she used Calatin’s poetry as inspiration. The unique relationship between these two female artists illustrates how mutually collaborative relationships are just as important as having supportive connections to famous male artists. By examining the original sources such as letters written by Emma Niendorf and Justinus Kerner and the art that Lang and Calatin co-created, I will illustrate how this relationship between Josephine Lang and Agnes von Calatin differed compared to her relationship with male counterparts. von Calatin provided more support and experimentation than was common in the traditional male mentorship, including personalized poetry, musical inspiration, and connections to prominent male composers and poets. However, because of von Calatin’s status as a female artist, not simply an artist, she was not able to provide as many exposure opportunities as her male counterparts for Lang. Most women composers from the 19th century found themselves in a similar dilemma where purely female collaboration promoted equality but hindered success in their careers.