A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Lang

LANG. A family of German musicians originally from Mannheim, but settling at Munich, and mentioned here for the sake of Josephine Lang (the second of that name), born Mar. 14, 1815, a young lady of very remarkable musical gifts and personality, who attracted the notice of Mendelssohn when he passed through Munich in 1830 and 31. There is an enthusiastic account of 'die kleine Lang' in his letter of Oct. 6, 31; in writing to Bärmann (July 7 and Sept. 27, 1834) he enquires for her, and in a letter seven years later (Dec. 15, 41) to Professor Köstlin of Tübingen, who had just married her, he shows how deeply her image had impressed itself on his susceptible heart. She has published several books of songs (up to op. 38), which from the reviews in the Allg. mus. Zeitung, appear to be full of imagination, and well worthy of the warm praise bestowed on them by Mendelssohn in the letters just mentioned. Hiller tells the story of her life at length in his Tonleben (ii. 116), and selects her songs, op. 12 and 14, as the best. [App. p.696 "She died, as Frau Köstlin, at Tübingen, in Dec. 1880."] Connected with the same family at an earlier date was Regina Lang, a singer whose name was originally Hitzelberg, born at Würzburg 1786, educated at Munich by Winter, Cannabich, and Vogel, and became chamber singer at the Bavarian Court. When Napoleon I. was at Munich in 1 806 she sang before him in Winter's 'Interrupted Sacrifice' and Mozart's 'Don Giovanni,' and so pleased him that he is said to have urged her to come to Paris (Mendel). She however remained in Munich, and married Theobald Lang, a violinist in the Court band. In 1812 or 13 she was at Vienna, and Beethoven wrote in her album a song 'An die Geliebte,' to Stoll's words, 'dass ich dir vom stille Auge,' which was published about 1840 in a collection called 'Das singende Deutschland.' It is his second version of the song—the former one being dated by himself December 1811, and having been published in 1814. See Nottebohm's Thematic Cat. of Beethoven, p. 183.

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