Evening star., 1924-06-15
AmericanCon
Mrs. H. II. 4. Beach.

MRS II. RI. A. BEACH, dean OF
A'A American Woman Composers"
has had one Of the most interesting
lives among the many unusual lives Of
those in the musical world. Music
seems to have been born in her. sat
urating even her earliest memories
with melody. Mrs. Beach was born
Amy Marcy Cheney in the town of
Henniker. Merrimac County. y. H,
September 5, 1857. She is a true
American, descendant of some of the
earliest colonial settlers and of the
same ancestry as William Larned
Marcy, who was successfully Gov
ernor of New York, L. S. senator. and
Secretary of State; Randolph Barnes
Marcy, inspector general, L. >. A,
explorer of the Red River; Charlotte
Cushman famous tragedienne, and
Maj. Gen. Dearborn Of revolutionary
fame.
Mrs Beach's musical inheritance
has descended directly from her
mother, who was a skilled singer and
pianist. Her father was not musical
but was a highly educated and brill
liant man. The child Amy possessed
the gift of excellent memory and ac-
curate pitch. startling heT relatives
frequently from the time she was one
year old The story is told that she
never forgot each detail of a song or
piano composition from the first YER
sion OF it that she heard, and any
one making the slightest devia-
tfon in presentins the work was
sternly reproved by this baby, and the
institution of even d single cadenza
met the reprimand, Sing ii clean"
When Amy Cheney was only two
years old, she is said to have para
lyzed her audience by singing at the
top of her voice, See the Conquering
Hero Comes from Handel's work,
which the artist who was to make
her picture had been practising. BY
the time she was three years old this
precocious child could read perfectly
any book or paper given her, and she
had known the letters of the alpha
bet from the age of seventeen months.
She also had an unusual method OF
linking music and colorS in her mind.
and it was some time before her
mother discovered that when little
Amy begged for the white music"
she did not mean the music printed on
paper with a white cover, as her par
ents had first supposed, but meant
music written in the key of c. SINH
larly "black" music was that writ
ten in either the key of F. sharp minor
or sharp minor; yellow music was
in the key of E major; red, in the key
blue, key of A fiat major; violet, key
of d fiat major; pink, key OF r nat
major
At the ripe age of four years Amy
Cheney stood on a hassock to take
her first piano lessons, and composed
several waltzes. When seven years
old she made a limited number of
public appearances, playing works by
Beethoven, Chopin and other masters.
The next year her parents made their
home in Boston, and she began more
general educational developme
along with a judiciously balanced mu-
sical training. Her first public ap-
pearance in Boston as a pianist was
made October "a, 1888, when she was
sixteen years old, and one year later
she played Chopin's IF Minor Con-
certo" with the Boston Symphony Or
chestra. under Mr.. Gerocle, and the
Mendelssohn ID Minor Concerto" with
Theodore Thomas orchestra
This composer might well be nick
named the writer of bird music" for
she has written many compositions
based on various bird melodies. She
first became noted in this field of
work with her record of the Califor-
mia lark songs, and now has a vol
ume of bird melodies representing
many varieties of feathered song
sters Her latest addition is the
suite of wood thrush songs written
recently while a member of the Mac
Dowell colony at Peterborough, n. H.
In December, 1885, she was married
to DR. Beach. who was as well known
in hers Their married life up until
his death, in 1910, was unusually
happy.
Mrs Beach's spontaneity of in
spiration has become unusually we'll
known and marks her work with
originality and individuality. This.
combined with a thorough knowledge
of craftsmanship. has aided her in
producing many lengthy and serious
works as well as the simpler songs
and other melodies that have become
extremely popular. Moreover. Mrs
Reach has charming personality
that makes her recitals "A delight
from every point of view. and wins
brt ,n,:rIealats warm sympathy from
her audiences.
Her first large work was "A grand
mass in r fat major, brought out by
the Handel and Haydn society. Feb
mary, 1892 under the direction of
carl Zerrahn, with Mrs. Jennie Pat
- walker soprano; Mrs Carl
aives. contralto; Signor ltalo Cam
nannini. tenor; Herr Emil Fischer,
bass. as soloists, and the Boston Sym
nhony Orchestra, led by Franz knei-
sell Her scene and aria from Die
Eilende wolken" OF Schillers Mary
stuart" arranged for contralto and
orchestra, was sung for the frst time
the same year as the mass. Mrs. Carl
Aiyes sang IL at a concert OF the New
York symphony Society, under wal
ter Dam rosch's direction. IL Is claim
ed to be the first work written by
woman produced at these concerts.
The next year Mrs. Beach was In