Amy Beach and Her Chamber Music Biography, Documents, Style

9780810828841

0810828847

Born at a time when women were excluded from the profession of music composition, Amy Beach's reputation as a composer and a virtuoso pianist was prominent. As an American composer at the turn of the century, she is esteemed as the first woman to write a symphony and a mass. Throughout her life, she won acclaim in the United States, Canada, and Europe as a prominent composer and concert pianist. This book begins with a lengthy biography describing Beach's personal and professional life. It is enriched with the correspondence of friends and colleagues such as Foote, Chadwick, Paine, Holmes, and Longfellow, and numerous photographs. From beginning to end, her life is documented with critical reviews and original papers from the Library of Congress and University of New Hampshire collections. Beach's chamber music works are masterpieces. Described individually, each score and manuscript is reviewed theoretically and historically. An extensive catalog contains the most complete list of all published and unpublished works with performance comments. This book has been created for the musician, historian, and women's studies enthusiast. Its intention is to stimulate renewed interest in both American music and the life of a unique woman.