Friedberg, Ruth C(rane) 1928-

PERSONAL: Born July 2, 1928, in Atlantic City, NJ; daughter of Bernard (a physician) and Miriam (a homemaker; maiden name, Seaver) Crane; married Samuel Friedberg (a physician), June 19, 1949; children: Michael, Jean. Ethnicity: "Jewish." Education: Attended Bryn Mawr College, 1945-47; Barnard College, B.A. (cum laude), 1949; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A., 1960. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Reading, travel, fitness.

ADDRESSES: Home—105 Elm Spring Lane, San Antonio, TX 78231. Office—c/o University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, TX 78209. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Duke University, Durham, NC, lecturer in music and staff accompanist, 1961-68; San Antonio College, San Antonio, TX, assistant professor of music and staff accompanist, 1968-72; Duke University, assistant professor of music and staff accompanist, 1972-74; University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, associate professor of music and staff accompanist, 1987-92, professor emeritus, 1992-, director of music, 1989-92. San Antonio Symphony, keyboard artist, 1976-87. Residential Management, Inc. (group homes for the mentally disabled), member of board of directors, 1990-.

MEMBER: International Alliance for Women in Music, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Music Teachers National Association, College Music Society, American Musicological Society, American Women Composers, Ars Lyrica (member of board of directors, 1987-90; vice president, 1994-), Sonneck Society for American Music, Association for Integrative Studies, Phi Beta Kappa.

WRITINGS:

(Author of liner notes; an accompanist) The Art Song in America (sound recording), Duke University Press (Durham, NC), Volume 1, 1966, Volume 2, 1974.

American Art Song and American Poetry, Scarecrow Press (Metuchen, NJ), Volume 1, 1981, Volume 2, 1984, Volume 3, 1987.

Coasts (poetry), Press at Camperdown Elm (Wooster, OH), 1990.

The Complete Pianist: Body, Mind, Synthesis, Scarecrow Press (Metuchen, NJ), 1992.

(Editor) Art Songs by American Women Composers, fifteen volumes, Southern Music Co. (San Antonio, TX), 1994-2000.

(Editor) Songs by John Duke, Volume 4, Southern Music Co. (San Antonio, TX), 2001.

Author of "Circle of Women" (song cycle), music by Lawrence Weiner, Southern Music Co. (San Antonio, TX), 1993. Contributor to Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Contributor of articles and reviews to periodicals, including Ars Lyrica and Music Review. Assistant music review editor, N.A.T.S. Bulletin, 1978-83.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Selected Writings of John Duke; research on songs by American women.

SIDELIGHTS: Ruth C. Friedberg told CA: "The impulse to write manifested with my first poem at the age of seven. A little later that same year, I started piano lessons. And so began my lifelong devotion to both words and music, which eventually led to a passion for art-song and a succession of articles and books on this subject. When I need a break from research and footnotes, I still write my own poetry; a volume of it was published in 1990. Although I have never set poetry to music, I have always been extremely appreciative of the sensitive musical response to text shown by our fine American art-song composers.

"I have two different writing processes, one for research and one for poetry. The former involves observing my own positive response to the song, analyzing the precise musical elements that have contributed to this, and then examining the connecting threads between the composer and the poet he or she is setting. When I write poetry, it is entirely different. I usually go to a library, sit with pencil in hand over a yellow pad of paper, and put myself into the time and situation I wish to write about. Then, it seems, the words simply appear, like a gift I am receiving."