Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "Amy Beach" - New World
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She was born Amy Marcy Cheney in [[Henniker, New Hampshire]]. As a child prodigy, she was able to harmonize at the age of two, played at the piano at the age of three, and composed her first song at the age of 4. At a time when women were not supposed to be in the "limelight", she was still ably taught by her mother who gave Amy her early music lessons and built her confidence. The family soon moved to Boston and Amy continued her musical instructions in piano, theory and some composition with other instructors although she mainly self-taught herself in compostiion. She made her professional debut in [[Boston]] in 1883 and shortly thereafter appeared as a soloist with the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] performing the beloved F minor piano concerto by Frederic Chopin. Following her marriage in 1885 to Dr. Henry H.A. Beach, a well-known Boston surgeon, she largely stopped performing (at his request) and devoted herself instead to composition. After her husband died in 1910, she toured Europe the next year as a pianist and was widely acclaimed. She usually performed her own compositions although she was very much at home with selections from the standard classical repertoire. She returned to America in 1914 and continued her concertizing, touring and composing. Amy spent time at the [[MacDowell Colony]] in [[Peterborough, New Hampshire]]. She died in [[New York City]]. | She was born Amy Marcy Cheney in [[Henniker, New Hampshire]]. As a child prodigy, she was able to harmonize at the age of two, played at the piano at the age of three, and composed her first song at the age of 4. At a time when women were not supposed to be in the "limelight", she was still ably taught by her mother who gave Amy her early music lessons and built her confidence. The family soon moved to Boston and Amy continued her musical instructions in piano, theory and some composition with other instructors although she mainly self-taught herself in compostiion. She made her professional debut in [[Boston]] in 1883 and shortly thereafter appeared as a soloist with the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] performing the beloved F minor piano concerto by Frederic Chopin. Following her marriage in 1885 to Dr. Henry H.A. Beach, a well-known Boston surgeon, she largely stopped performing (at his request) and devoted herself instead to composition. After her husband died in 1910, she toured Europe the next year as a pianist and was widely acclaimed. She usually performed her own compositions although she was very much at home with selections from the standard classical repertoire. She returned to America in 1914 and continued her concertizing, touring and composing. Amy spent time at the [[MacDowell Colony]] in [[Peterborough, New Hampshire]]. She died in [[New York City]]. | ||
| − | Her symphonic composition is the popular ''Gaelic Symphony'' (1893), which took her two years to complete. Amy was very interested in the folk songs of Ireland and composed the symphony to be reminiscent of Irish fiddlers and bagpipe drones over folk songs which appear as key symphonic themes. This work has programmatic tendencies because Amy wanted to depict the "laments, romances, and dreams" of the Irish peoples. Moreover, the work can be considered as a "national" piece due to its ethnic Irish-American folk song sources. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896. Another popular work is the ''[[Mass (music)|Mass]] in E flat Major'', for solo quartet, organ, chorus, and orchestra. Other compositions include a [[piano concerto]]1900, a quantity of [[chorus|choral]] music, [[chamber music]], [[piano]] music, and the [[opera]] ''Cabildo'' (1932). She was most popular among vocalists, however, for her [[song]]s because Amy was able to capture the nuances and moments in everyday life in musical episodes with very coordinated lyrics and verses. For example, her Three Shakespearean Songs, Op. 44 combine the verses with melodies which bring episodes from the Tempest and A Midsummer's Night Dream clearly to life. Her songs for solo voice were musical poems which particularly explained so many complex emotions in a simple and beautiful way. Examples are: "Ah, Love, but a Day", and "The Year's at the Spring", which were just some of her prolific output in popular songs. | + | Her symphonic composition is the popular ''Gaelic Symphony'' (1893), which took her two years to complete. Amy was very interested in the folk songs of Ireland and composed the symphony to be reminiscent of Irish fiddlers and bagpipe drones over folk songs which appear as key symphonic themes. This work has programmatic tendencies because Amy wanted to depict the "laments, romances, and dreams" of the Irish peoples. Moreover, the work can be considered as a "national" piece due to its ethnic Irish-American folk song sources. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896 and is scored for strings, 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, triangle, and tympani. Another popular work is the ''[[Mass (music)|Mass]] in E flat Major'', for solo quartet, organ, chorus, and orchestra. Other compositions include a [[piano concerto]]1900, a quantity of [[chorus|choral]] music, [[chamber music]], [[piano]] music, and the [[opera]] ''Cabildo'' (1932). She was most popular among vocalists, however, for her [[song]]s because Amy was able to capture the nuances and moments in everyday life in musical episodes with very coordinated lyrics and verses. For example, her Three Shakespearean Songs, Op. 44 combine the verses with melodies which bring episodes from the Tempest and A Midsummer's Night Dream clearly to life. Her songs for solo voice were musical poems which particularly explained so many complex emotions in a simple and beautiful way. Examples are: "Ah, Love, but a Day", and "The Year's at the Spring", which were just some of her prolific output in popular songs. |
Amy Beach was the youngest and only female member of the Boston School of American composers, who were greatly influenced by the German romantic stylism of the day. This school was the first American school of art music. On July 9, 2000 at Boston's famous Hatch Shell, the Boston Pops paid tribute to Amy Beach. Her name was added to the granite wall on "The Shell". It joins 86 other composers such as Bach, Handel, Chopin, Debussy, MacDowell and Beethoven. Although Amy Beach is the only woman composer on the granite wall, Amy is a full equal to the other 86 on "The Shell". | Amy Beach was the youngest and only female member of the Boston School of American composers, who were greatly influenced by the German romantic stylism of the day. This school was the first American school of art music. On July 9, 2000 at Boston's famous Hatch Shell, the Boston Pops paid tribute to Amy Beach. Her name was added to the granite wall on "The Shell". It joins 86 other composers such as Bach, Handel, Chopin, Debussy, MacDowell and Beethoven. Although Amy Beach is the only woman composer on the granite wall, Amy is a full equal to the other 86 on "The Shell". | ||
| − | Amy Beach's musical philosophy drew upon | + | Amy Beach's musical philosophy drew upon folk songs, especially from the Irish, Scottish and English peoples, who immigrated to America. In 1893, Amy reiterated her philosophy in print. That same year, the composer, Antonin Dvorak, visited America and was quoted by the Boston Herald as advising American composers to seek out their "native" themes as he had done in his "New World Symphony". Dvorak was intending that those "native" themes for Americans should come from African songs and rhythms. Amy wrote the Boston Herald after reading Dvorak's interview and said, "We of the North should be far more likely to be influenced by old English, Scoth or Irish songs, inherited with our literature from our ancestors". Although Amy Beach drew from the sources that she knew best, she felt that the indiginous music of folk peoples, no matter where they were from, truly energized the art music of America which soon evolved into a distinctive musical style in both classical and popular idioms. |
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 00:08, 23 May 2006
At the beginning of the 20th century, a musical genuis in composition and piano performance grew up in the American northeast to later become a most celebrated musical ambassador for America. Amy Marcy Beach (September 5, 1867 – December 27, 1944), was an American pianist and composer of classical music. She was the first successful female American composer as well as the first female American composer of a symphony, the "Gaelic Symphony". Many of her compositions and performances were under the name Mrs. H.H.A. Beach.
She was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, New Hampshire. As a child prodigy, she was able to harmonize at the age of two, played at the piano at the age of three, and composed her first song at the age of 4. At a time when women were not supposed to be in the "limelight", she was still ably taught by her mother who gave Amy her early music lessons and built her confidence. The family soon moved to Boston and Amy continued her musical instructions in piano, theory and some composition with other instructors although she mainly self-taught herself in compostiion. She made her professional debut in Boston in 1883 and shortly thereafter appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing the beloved F minor piano concerto by Frederic Chopin. Following her marriage in 1885 to Dr. Henry H.A. Beach, a well-known Boston surgeon, she largely stopped performing (at his request) and devoted herself instead to composition. After her husband died in 1910, she toured Europe the next year as a pianist and was widely acclaimed. She usually performed her own compositions although she was very much at home with selections from the standard classical repertoire. She returned to America in 1914 and continued her concertizing, touring and composing. Amy spent time at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire. She died in New York City.
Her symphonic composition is the popular Gaelic Symphony (1893), which took her two years to complete. Amy was very interested in the folk songs of Ireland and composed the symphony to be reminiscent of Irish fiddlers and bagpipe drones over folk songs which appear as key symphonic themes. This work has programmatic tendencies because Amy wanted to depict the "laments, romances, and dreams" of the Irish peoples. Moreover, the work can be considered as a "national" piece due to its ethnic Irish-American folk song sources. It was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896 and is scored for strings, 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba, triangle, and tympani. Another popular work is the Mass in E flat Major, for solo quartet, organ, chorus, and orchestra. Other compositions include a piano concerto1900, a quantity of choral music, chamber music, piano music, and the opera Cabildo (1932). She was most popular among vocalists, however, for her songs because Amy was able to capture the nuances and moments in everyday life in musical episodes with very coordinated lyrics and verses. For example, her Three Shakespearean Songs, Op. 44 combine the verses with melodies which bring episodes from the Tempest and A Midsummer's Night Dream clearly to life. Her songs for solo voice were musical poems which particularly explained so many complex emotions in a simple and beautiful way. Examples are: "Ah, Love, but a Day", and "The Year's at the Spring", which were just some of her prolific output in popular songs.
Amy Beach was the youngest and only female member of the Boston School of American composers, who were greatly influenced by the German romantic stylism of the day. This school was the first American school of art music. On July 9, 2000 at Boston's famous Hatch Shell, the Boston Pops paid tribute to Amy Beach. Her name was added to the granite wall on "The Shell". It joins 86 other composers such as Bach, Handel, Chopin, Debussy, MacDowell and Beethoven. Although Amy Beach is the only woman composer on the granite wall, Amy is a full equal to the other 86 on "The Shell".
Amy Beach's musical philosophy drew upon folk songs, especially from the Irish, Scottish and English peoples, who immigrated to America. In 1893, Amy reiterated her philosophy in print. That same year, the composer, Antonin Dvorak, visited America and was quoted by the Boston Herald as advising American composers to seek out their "native" themes as he had done in his "New World Symphony". Dvorak was intending that those "native" themes for Americans should come from African songs and rhythms. Amy wrote the Boston Herald after reading Dvorak's interview and said, "We of the North should be far more likely to be influenced by old English, Scoth or Irish songs, inherited with our literature from our ancestors". Although Amy Beach drew from the sources that she knew best, she felt that the indiginous music of folk peoples, no matter where they were from, truly energized the art music of America which soon evolved into a distinctive musical style in both classical and popular idioms.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Adrienne Fried Block, Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944 (Oxford University Press, 1998)
- Amy Beach, The Sea-Fairies: Opus 59, edited by Andrew Thomas Kuster (Madison, WI: A-R Editions, 1999) ISBN 0895794357
de:Amy Beach
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