The talented song composer Josephine Lang (* 14 March 1815 in Munich; † 2 December 1880 in Tübingen) was born into a family of musicians in Munich. She heard her godfather, Karl Stieler, who had painted portraits of Beethoven and Goethe, talk about these ‘intellectual heroes’. Her meeting with the 21-year-old Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in 1830 was a turning point in her artistic development. She recalled: “The encounter with this master brought about a complete upheaval in my being. His spirit brought me light, his work gave me an ideal.” Mendelssohn urged her to keep her talent sacred and not to squander her gifts in societies.
The city of Tübingen has announced the 1st Josephine Lang Competition for Lied Duo in her honour. Registration for the 1st Josephine Lang Competition for Lied Duo is open from 15 May to 15 July 2023.