{"id":8331,"date":"2017-09-05T09:22:39","date_gmt":"2017-09-05T08:22:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/?p=8331"},"modified":"2017-09-08T15:20:54","modified_gmt":"2017-09-08T14:20:54","slug":"commemmorating-the-150th-anniversary-of-amy-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.kent.ac.uk\/music-matters\/2017\/09\/05\/commemmorating-the-150th-anniversary-of-amy-beach\/","title":{"rendered":"Commemmorating the 150th anniversary of Amy Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of the American composer, concert-pianist and educator, Amy Beach<\/strong>. She achieved widespread recognition not only for her compositions but also for her career as a concert-pianist, performing in both America and Europe. Known as the ‘Dean of American Composers’ after the premiere of her\u00a0Gaelic Symphony<\/em> in 1896, she\u00a0became a major figure representing women working in the arts\u00a0at a time when – as still\u00a0– it was dominated by men, and establishing an identity for herself was a struggle. On concert-stages throughout Europe, she flourished as a performer of both her own works as well as the usual bastions of piano repertoire. Her legacy includes a wealth of choral and orchestral music, songs, a piano concerto (written to demonstrate her own capabilities) and\u00a0chamber music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>To celebrate her anniversary, here are two pieces from her delightful\u00a0Children’s Album<\/em>, Op.36 – a collection which displays her lyrical creativity, a boisterous\u00a0sense of fun matched with a highly expressive harmonic ear, and also, in the ‘Waltz,’ a wonderful melodic sense tinged ever so slightly with a hint of melancholy. Both\u00a0pieces are played in the concert-hall by Your Loyal Correspondent.<\/p>\n

Amy Beach: Waltz<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n