Not a lot of information exists on the life of Ruth Crawford Seeger, but we do know of her music. She did most of her writing in the late 20's and early 30's, so she was heavily influenced by the Avant Garde movement of the time. This style of music pushed the limits of conventional musical thought, introducing new and unique tonalities and rhythms. Her music also shows the influence of her husband, Charles. His theory of "dissonant counterpoint" viewed dissonance, or in music, unconventional voicing, as "normal." Consonance, or conventional voicing, was used for "flavoring." This style of writing is the exact opposite of 19th century classical music, in which dissonance would be used for the 'flavoring' of conventional harmonies.
Seeger's musical output mainly falls between the years 1929-1932, a very short amount of time for a composer. Many composers take that long to complete only one or two works. Still, she still managed to make a definite mark on music with her masterwork, the 1931 String Quartet. Written when she was only 30, this work shows maturity far beyond her years. It is said that most composers would be happy to write a work like the String Quartet at all, much less so early in life.
Although Seeger had recognition in the orchestral world, she is as likely to be remembered for her work in the area of folk music. The 1930s brought turbulent times to the United States, and Seeger's focus seemed to shift from writing music to championing political causes. During this time, she also had children with her husband (he had three from a previous marriage. Ruth and Charles had four of their own), and these obligations seemed to take her focus away from her 'own' music. What is incredible is that during that time, she still managed to collaborate with noted writers and musical historians to arrange and collect thousands of folk songs, which were mainly used for children's music education. In this application of folk songs for music education, she was a true pioneer, and has even been compared to the noted children's music educator and composer Zoltan Kodaly.
Seeger did return briefly to writing original music in the 1950s, but cancer cut her life short in 1953. Many music historians wonder what her musical output would have been like during the 1930s and 1940s. While she might not have composed during that time, her impact on the musical world was just as profound. Three books of her folk music collections exist today, and these books live on as a testament to her pioneering spirit.
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