Fragments

This chapter focuses on Marga Richter's shorter, more fragmented works that had little or no development and were not as expansive as her earlier (and later) pieces. Unlike other U.S. composers in the 1960s such as Edgard Varèse and Milton Babbitt, Richter did not gravitate toward total serialism, electronic music, or chance music, although she reluctantly responded to the trend of composing sparse, economical, and atonal works. An encounter with composer William Sydeman at the Bennington Composers Conference was influential in steering Richter toward the prevailing attitudes of the day. This chapter discusses some of Richter's more concise compositions during the 1960s, including short solo and chamber music scores such as Fragments for solo piano; choral works like Psalm 91 for mixed chorus for mixed chorus; and the modern ballet score, Abyss for the Harkness Ballet. It also considers Richter's compositional retreat at a family residence in Shrewsbury, Vermont, and her self-admitted tendency to suffer from a letdown following elation from a performance or completion of a major work.