Beach, Amy (1867 - 1944)

[antongould]

Today is, Petroc tells me, her 150th birthday .... whenever I hear her music, and she is a Breakfast favourite, I enjoy it but never get round to going further into her catalogue .....

[LeMartinPecheur]

Today is, Petroc tells me, her 150th birthday .... whenever I hear her music, and she is a Breakfast favourite, I enjoy it but never get round to going further into her catalogue .....

My experience is similar, though I've nearly made a resolve to go 'further into her catalogue'.

My one live contact with her music was Emma Kirkby singing 3 songs which didn't do much. Not Dame EK's fault as far as I could tell; I might just have been unimpressed by the verse set But I have been more taken with some of her instrumental music heard on R3.

The (or is it 'a'?) piano quintet seems to be flagged as impressive - can anyone suggest some other 'entry portals'??

[Lat-Literal]

Essential, I think, for anyone interested in American classical music. One of the leading women historically, the only woman in the Boston Group and in my opinion one of the best two or three composers in that group.* The Gaelic Symphony and the piano concerto are very highly rated but the CD I have is "Mrs HHA Beach" on Koch International - piano, Virginia Erskin.

(*MacDowell first - never too sure about Chadwick although he's there re status and volume of output)

[Pabmusic]

Essential, I think, for anyone interested in American classical music. One of the leading women historically, the only woman in the Boston Group and in my opinion one of the best two or three composers in that group.* The Gaelic Symphony and the piano concerto are very highly rated but the CD I have is "Mrs HHA Beach" on Koch International - piano, Virginia Erskin.

(*MacDowell first - never too sure about Chadwick although he's there re status and volume of output)

She married someone who I think was older than her father (she was a teenager). He forbade her to appear in public more than twice a year, so she gave up her career as pianist. She also took his name, so all her compositions were published with the composer as Mrs. H. H. A. Beach. (Her maiden name was Amy Marcy.)

[Lat-Literal]

She married someone who I think was older than her father (she was a teenager). He forbade her to appear in public more than twice a year, so she gave up her career as pianist. She also took his name, so all her compositions were published with the composer as Mrs. H. H. A. Beach. (Her maiden name was Amy Marcy.)

Interesting - thank you - I knew that he died fairly early in the marriage and she was childless but I didn't know the age difference or the nature of the relationship. At best, the ongoing use of her married name for modern packaging seems ironic which it isn't intended to be. It is a pity that they are not all being issued under her maiden name or simply as Amy Beach.

[cloughie]

I’m enjoying the Amy Beach CoW. Pleasant to listen to - music for Violin and Piano, also songs well written and nicely sung.

[DracoM]

[Ein Heldenleben]

I’m enjoying the Amy Beach CoW. Pleasant to listen to - music for Violin and Piano, also songs well written and nicely sung.

I’ve been listening all week and been very taken by the quality of her work. Wonder why so many fine composer reputations fade after they’ve gone . A similar story last week with Florence Price - though I think Beach’s work is finer....

[Nick Armstrong]

I’ve been listening all week and been very taken by the quality of her work. Wonder why so many fine composer reputations fade after they’ve gone . A similar story last week with Florence Price - though I think Beach’s work is finer....

Much finer. Tried both the first time these programmes were on a year or two back. Avoided Florence last week but very glad to hear some Amy again this week.

[Leinster Lass]

I’m enjoying the Amy Beach CoW. Pleasant to listen to - music for Violin and Piano, also songs well written and nicely sung.

[antongould]

Much finer. Tried both the first time these programmes were on a year or two back. Avoided Florence last week but very glad to hear some Amy again this week.

Very much enjoying it ......

[Suffolkcoastal]

Yet more recent COTW recent repeats. Still so many composers who've either never featured on the programme or haven't featured for many years, but all R3 can give us is yet more recent repeats. Beach composed a handful of good pieces notably the Gaelic Symphony & Piano Concerto, and especially the Piano Quintet, her best work IMO. But much of what I've heard of the rest of her output, I've found pleasant but lacking in real substance. Chadwick & Griffes I find far more interesting & rewarding. I heard a lot of positive feedback about Florence Price so investigated her music a couple of years ago and was thoroughly disappointed finding the music totally uninteresting, unmemorable & best forgotten.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Yet more recent COTW recent repeats. Still so many composers who've either never featured on the programme or haven't featured for many years, but all R3 can give us is yet more recent repeats. Beach composed a handful of good pieces notably the Gaelic Symphony & Piano Concerto, and especially the Piano Quintet, her best work IMO. But much of what I've heard of the rest of her output, I've found pleasant but lacking in real substance. Chadwick & Griffes I find far more interesting & rewarding. I heard a lot of positive feedback about Florence Price so investigated her music a couple of years ago and was thoroughly disappointed finding the music totally uninteresting, unmemorable & best forgotten.

I was pleasantly surprised by what I heard of Beach’s but spent a lot of last week listening to Dufay, Josquin and Ockeghem in protest at R3’s neglect of them. Vastly greater composers ....