Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to Amy Beach
- Cambridge Companions to Music
- The Cambridge Companion to Amy Beach
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Music Examples
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Part I Historical Context
- Part II Profiles of the Music
- 5 Amy Beach’s Keyboard Music
- 6 Songs of Amy Beach
- 7 “Worthy of Serious Attention”
- 8 The Power of Song in Beach’s Orchestral Works
- 9 Choral Music
- 10 Beach’s Dramatic Works
- Part III Reception
- Appendix: List of Works
- Select Bibliography
- Index
8 - The Power of Song in Beach’s Orchestral Works
from Part II - Profiles of the Music
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2023
- The Cambridge Companion to Amy Beach
- Cambridge Companions to Music
- The Cambridge Companion to Amy Beach
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Music Examples
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Part I Historical Context
- Part II Profiles of the Music
- 5 Amy Beach’s Keyboard Music
- 6 Songs of Amy Beach
- 7 “Worthy of Serious Attention”
- 8 The Power of Song in Beach’s Orchestral Works
- 9 Choral Music
- 10 Beach’s Dramatic Works
- Part III Reception
- Appendix: List of Works
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Song served as a primary generative force throughout Amy Beach’s prolific compositional career. Her three major pieces for orchestra alone-Bal Masqué (1893), the “Gaelic” Symphony (1896), and the Piano Concerto (1900)-are no exception. This chapter argues that Beach’s affinity for song not only shaped her approach to large-scale orchestral composition, but also facilitated positive responses to her works well beyond their premieres. Beach’s ultimate success with song-inspired orchestral composition reflected broader trends of the era overshadowed by experimental modernisms.
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- Information
- The Cambridge Companion to Amy Beach , pp. 154 - 179Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023