Gyring, Elizabeth, 1909-1970

Composed 1939.--Cf. Fleisher Collection.

Elizabeth Gyring was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909. She was the daughter of the well-known laryngologist Leopold Rethy, himself an amateur musician and founder/conductor of the Wiener Aertzte Orchester. She pursued her musical studies at the State Academy of Music in her native Vienna and graduated with distinction. She enjoyed the encouragement of the composer Alban Berg, a friend of the family, and of some of Vienna's leading musicians. Performances of her works in Berlin and Vienna received favorable critical notices. In 1939 she emigrated to the United States with her husband Otto Geiringer and eventually became an American citizen. She resided in New York City until her death in 1970.

Elizabeth Gyring's music utilizes the dense chromaticism of the Late Romantic style. Both versatile and prolific, with over 160 works to her credit, she composed music in nearly all traditional forms including a full-length opera, two symphonies, seven string quartets, numerous chamber music works for various combinations of instruments, concerti, cantatas, songs, choral pieces, works for solo piano, organ and other instruments. She was a member of the American Composers Alliance in New York City. A few of her works were published during her lifetime by Henri Elkan and the Boston Music Company. The bulk of her compositions were made available through the American Composers Facsimile Edition, New York. Despite a number of performances of her music in New York and Philadelphia, as well as a few radio performances, Elizabeth Gyring's music has been for the most part neglected.