Born: 5 September 1867, United States
Died: 27 December 1944
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Mrs. H.H.A. Beach, Amy Marcy Cheney
The following bio was written by Emma Rosen, author of On This Day She Made History: 366 Days With Women Who Shaped the World and This Day In Human Ingenuity & Discovery: 366 Days of Scientific Milestones with Women in the Spotlight, and has been republished with permission.
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach was an accomplished American composer and pianist and the first successful American female composer of significant art music. Her “Gaelic” Symphony premiered with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, marking the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. Notably, she achieved her acclaim without the traditional European training, establishing herself as one of the most respected American composers of her era. As a pianist, she gained recognition for her concerts featuring her own compositions in both the United States and Germany.
From Famous Women: An Outline of Feminine Achievement Through the Ages With Life Stories of Five Hundred Noted Women. Written by Joseph Adelman, published 1926 by Ellis M Lonow Company:
American composer and pianist. Up to the time of her marriage to Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach in 1885, she attained distinction as a pianist, playing in concerts and recitals; since then she has devoted herself almost entirely to composition.
The Gaelic Symphony, for full orchestra, conceded to be her best work, has been played by all the great national orchestras. Her many others works for orchestra, piano and voice have given her a place in the foremost ranks of American composers.