Ruth Crawford Seeger 1901-1953

developed "heterophony" - a new style of dissonance that won her acclaim as a prophetic composer
joined the proletarian music movement in New York during the great depression and started doing folk songs instead of avate gaurde
returned to dissonance shortly before her death
Her masterpeice is String Quartet (1931)
Pioneered the use of folk songs in Children's music education
Critics said she could "sling dissonances like a man"
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Composition/Composers/S/Seeger,_Ruth_Crawford/