Product Description
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (1867-1944), the most widely performed composer of her generation, was the first American woman to succeed as a creator of large-scale art music. Her "Gaelic" Symphony, given its premiere by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first work of its kind by an American woman to be performed by an American orchestra. Almost all of her more than 300 works were published soon after they were composed and performed, and today her music is finding new advocates and audiences for its energy, intensity, and sheer beauty. Yet, until now, no full-length critical biography of Beach's life or comprehensive critical overview of her music existed. This biography admirably fills that gap, fully examining the connections between Beach's life and work in light of social currents and dominant ideologies.

Born into a musical family in Victorian times, Amy Beach started composing as a child of four and was equally gifted as a pianist. Her talent was recognized early by Boston's leading musicians, who gave her unqualified support. Although Beach believed that the life of a professional musician was the only life for her, her parents had raised her for marriage and a career of amateur music-making. Her response to this parental (and later spousal) opposition was to find creative ways of reaching her goal without direct confrontation. Discouraged from a full-scale concert career, she instead found her métier in composition.

Success as a composer of art songs came early for Beach: indeed, her songs outsold those of her contemporaries. Nevertheless, she was determined to separate her work from the genteel parlor music women were writing in her day by creating large-scale works--a Mass, a symphony, and chamber music--that challenged the accepted notion that women were incapable of creating high art. She won the respect of colleagues and the allegiance of audiences. Many who praised her work, however, considered her an exception among women. Beach's reaction to this was to join with other women composers of serious music by promoting their works along with her own.

Adrienne Fried Block has written a biography that takes full account of issues of gender and musical modernism, considering Beach in the contexts of her time and of her composer contemporaries, both male and female. Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian will be of great interest to students and scholars of American music, and to music lovers in general.Amazon.com Review
The question one inevitably asks when considering the life ofcomposer Amy Beach is this: How much greater might she have been ifshe'd had the same opportunities given male prodigies such as Mozartor Beethoven? As it was, Beach's talent was prodigious and widelyrecognized in her own time. Born in 1867 to a musical family, theyoung Amy was playing the piano by ear by the time she was four. Hadshe been a boy, no doubt a brilliant career as a concert pianist wouldhave followed; instead, Amy married a much older man and mostlyconfined her musical genius to once-yearly concerts and tocomposing. Beach was prolific and eclectic, writing a Mass, a symphony(her "Gaelic" Symphony was the first work by an American womancomposer to be performed by an American orchestra) and chambermusic. In later years, after her husband's death, Beach toured theworld as a performer.

In her extensive biography of Amy Beach, Adrienne Fried Block examinesboth the composer's life and work. Excerpts from various pieces areincluded in the book, giving readers an opportunity to study hermusic. Block does an admirable job of explaining to those lessmusically knowledgeable just what Beach was attempting to accomplishin each piece. Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian is an excellentbiography for anyone interested in the life of a remarkable woman; forthose who are also interested in music and composition, it's a realtreat. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Still stellar
Months after the passing of author Adrienne Fried Block and over a decade since the publication of her impressive study of Amy Beach, the work continues to stand up.The minor errors are hardly worth mentioning--e.g., a footnote here and there, or a lone opus number.Block injects her own passion for truth and detail into the dramatic arc of Beach's life to produce not only a research tool and musical biography, but also a model of how to write about women composers, whose lives carry complexities and conflicts.That Beach--America's first woman composer of a symphony, a concerto, a Mass, a string quartet--was captured for history by Block is justice well served.

Good book about a great composer
This book gives lots of detail about Amy Beach, born at a time when women were not encouraged to follow productive careers in music. Despite being handicapped by her society, Amy Beach overcame many of those by the shear force of her musical talents. This book follows Beach's musical and personal life and also provides a clear image of the time in which she lived. If I had any criticism, there may be too much detail, but then I bought the book just to concentrate on her music.

Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian
At last, a full-length biography of the "Dean of American Women Composers."Engaging and thorougly researched.The only thing lacking is a discography of Beach's music.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
A truly beautiful book featuring the life and music of Amy Beach, the first great woman composer of America. This well-researched text includes a wonderful family "scrapbook" section with 22 photos and a short biography. Also included are Scottish Legend; Canoeing; Summer Dreams; and a number of her easier works. The first four solos in this spectacular book have never before been published. Starting with Amy's first composition at age four, the book also has selections from: Op.25, Op.26, Op.28, Op.36, Op.54, Op.64, Op.119 and many more. This book is perfect for players at all levels as it includes Amy Beach's easiest pieces as well as intermediate and difficult piano solos. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Wonderful music!
Amy Beach's music is emotional and frolicking.This book includes a biography and photos of Amy Beach, with amazing details of her early life of genius talent.The music goes from some of Amy's early, easier works (from age 4 and up!) to her later, very impressive and difficult works.I especially love "Gavotte Fantastique", "Scottish Legend", and "Menuet Italien".There are a number of duets included in this book, too, some of which are beautiful.They're all interesting.I believe she knew Edward MacDowell, so if you enjoy his music, you may enjoy the music of Amy Beach. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a new, digitally enhanced reprint of the score originally published in 1897 by Arthur P. Schmidt. Amy Beach's only symphony is fully representative of her late Romantic style. Composed in 1896, the work makes use of several Irish folksongs as thematic material. The Gaelic symphony received favorable reviews and was subsequently performed by orchestras in both the USA and Europe in the years leading up to the World War I. Like most music of the American late-Romantic school, this lovely symphony was sadly neglected until recently. Thanks to an increased interest in the works of women composers and a general revival of interest in the American late-Romantic school, the Gaelic Symphony has seen a fair number of performances and recordings in recent years. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent Score
Finally! A high-quality, affordable, and accessible score to Amy Beach's "Gaelic" Symphony has been printed! This score completely exceeded my expectations when it arrived. It is the perfect size for study - larger than a mini-score and smaller than the typical Dover editions. The printing is dark and clear and laid out very nicely on the pages. The publishers have also included the beautiful cover page from the original edition. I could not be more pleased with this score for the price! It is the perfect addition to my score collection. As a student of orchestral conducting, I plan to purchase more by this publisher.

From the Publisher:
This is a new, high-quality reprint of the score originally published in 1898 by Arthur P. Schmidt. Amy Beach's only symphony is fully representative of her late Romantic style. Composed in 1896, the work makes use of several Irish folksongs as thematic material. The Gaelic symphony received favorable reviews and was subsequently performed by orchestras in both the USA and Europe in the years leading up to the World War I. Like most music of the American late-Romantic school, this lovely symphony was sadly neglected until recently. Thanks to an increased interest in the works of women composers and a general revival of interest in the American late-Romantic school, the Gaelic Symphony has seen a fair number of performances and recordings in recent years. ... Read more

Product Description
Virginia Beach offers a variety of attractions, but few who visit know that there is an area with a history that dates back to the 17th century. Many early structures remain intact and appreciated, while others fell into ruin and exist only in photographs and memories. Then & Now: Virginia Beach is a road trip through the past and present. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes a catalog of each artist's work, a discography of Beach's music, photographs of sculptures, and numerous musical examples. ... Read more

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Virginia Beach: Jewel Resort of the Atlantic, takes us back in time to the days when the sparkling resort strip of Virginia Beach drew crowds by the train-full. This new book takes readers back to the days when there were only summer cottages and inns at Virginia Beach. In days gone by, sea breezes and incomparable landscapes created the backdrop for excursionists, and the wild country of Back Bay, Croatan, Sandbridge, and Fort Story was untouched. We follow the development of the resort as it changed to include grand hotels, clubs, nightlife, and watersports. Readers are invited to take a walk on the boardwalk of yesteryear and follow Virginia Beach through World War II and the big band era, to the fabulous fifties and the 1960s, when Virginia Beach formally incorporated as a city. ... Read more

Product Description
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. ... Read more

Product Description
American composer Amy Beach (1867–1944) was largely self taught, but her precocious musical talent eventually blossomed into a remarkable career. This volume of her piano music includes a rich selection of the elegant, stylish miniatures for which she is known. Among them are Valse-Caprice, Op. 4, Four Sketches, Op. 15, Three Compositions, Op. 28, Children’s Album, Op. 36, and more.
... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1996. The length of the article is 3187 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Amy Beach and Her Chamber Music: Biography, Documents, Style.
Author: Adrienne Fried Block
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1996
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: v52Issue: n3Page: p790(5)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on December 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1202 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944.(Review)
Author: Juanita Karpf
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: December 1, 1999
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 56Issue: 2Page: 418

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Amy Beach, Carla Bley, Philippa Schuyler, Laura Nyro, Rosalyn Tureck, Korey Cooper, Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler, Emily Bear, Olga Samaroff, Maro Ajemian, Elizabeth Askren, Gabriela Montero, Marcia Ball, Marilyn Crispell, Jen Shyu. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Amy Beach est une compositrice et pianiste américaine, née Amy Marcy Cheney à Henniker (New Hampshire) le 5 septembre 1867, décédée à New York le 27 décembre 1944. De talent précoce, après avoir étudié adolescente le piano et la composition dans son pays natal (mais elle fut surtout autodidacte), Amy Cheney effectue ses débuts professionnels comme pianiste en 1883. Deux ans après, en 1885, elle épouse le docteur Henry Harris Aubrey Beach et restreint alors considérablement ses activités de concertiste (se consacrant à la composition), qu'elle reprendra activement au décès de son mari en 1910, effectuant notamment une grande tournée en Europe qui s'achève en 1914, année où elle regagne les États-Unis. Elle met un terme à ses activités en 1940. On lui doit des compositions (qu'elle signe souvent sous le nom de Mrs. H.H.A. Beach) dans des domaines très variés : piano, musique de chambre, mélodies ("songs", en anglais) pour voix et piano, œuvres chorales (pour diverses formations, dont une Grande Messe avec orchestre), un concerto pour piano, une symphonie (dite "gaëlique") et un opéra (Cabildo). (l'année est celle de publication de l'œuvre) (voix et piano) Amy Beach en 1908 ...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

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Few would guess from looking at the resplendent Virginia Beach shorelineóits stretches of fine sand, sloping dunes, and rolling waves that the city has experienced anything but peace and tranquility since the history of its native Chesapeake tribe collided with the ambition and vision of new European settlers on the colonial coastline. But turmoil and conflict, as well as progress and achievement, are all a part of the area's unique story. Virginia Beach: A History of Virginia's Golden Shore brings to life the people, places, and events that contributed to the city's celebrated reputation. Through stories and memories, readers are introduced to the varied citizens who called this land home, including such characters as Sarah Offley who married three of early Virginia's most powerful settlers, and to the city's illustrious visitors. This volume also details, in both word and image, the influential resort age, which began in 1880 and saw the community flourish as people flocked to the Atlantic shore to dance, picnic, and enjoy the surf at the Princess Anne Hotel. Everyday vacationers mingled with notables such as Alexander Graham Bell and John, Lionel, and Ethel Barrymore at the landmark hotel with the railroad at its front door. Although little of the golden shore remains unchanged, modern residents continue to preserve what they can especially their memories, pride, and love for the city. ... Read more