Amy Beach for the New Generation: the Effects of Increased Interest
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AMY BEACH FOR THE NEW GENERATION: THE EFFECTS OF INCREASED INTEREST IN BEACH’S WORKS ON THE CURRENT PLACE IN THE PERFORMANCE CANON OF CONCERTO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA IN C SHARP MINOR, OP. 45 by MONICA SCHULTZ BAKER KEVIN THOMAS CHANCE, CHAIR JACOB ADAMS JOANNA BIERMANN LISA DORR EDISHER SAVITSKI AMIR ZAHERI A DOCUMENT Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in the Department of Music in the Graduate School of The University of Alabama TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA 2019 Copyright Monica Schultz Baker 2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Amy Beach sets an example of musical activism and dedication to her art that has inspired and illuminated her successors. Beach’s music has particular significance considering that she is arguably the most notable female American composer-pianist. Thus, her Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in C sharp minor, Op. 45, a large-scale work that encompasses a wide range of emotions and musical form, deserves a more established place in the performance canon. At its premier, Beach’s concerto received a drastically different reaction than the premier of a piano concerto by her male contemporary, Edward MacDowell. I seek to explore the relative merits of the two works and to determine if any gender bias influenced their comparative canonization. The goal for this project is to argue that the Beach concerto should gain more presence in the modern performance canon based on its compositional merits. In addition, I seek to disseminate reactions to Beach’s concerto at its premier and those elicited by her works now; to examine trends in performances within the US, such as the recent performance of the Beach concerto at the University of Georgia in January 2017; and to motivate further scholarship and performances of Beach’s concerto. ii DEDICATION This document is dedicated to my husband, Chase Baker, who supported me every step of the way. Music has been my first love. The dedication and commitment I developed during my music studies prepared me for you, my new love. Thank you for helping me find a balance between being a musician and being a human. I have learned so much about myself and about our marriage in the time that I have been preparing this document. You have been the anchor that has helped me maintain my sanity, and the warmth and consolation that I needed when I struggled with sleep deprivation and when I missed deadlines. Thank you for always being there to celebrate the joys as well as to endure the sorrows we have both encountered these past three years. In preparing the research for this document I learned much about marriage. May ours be as enduring and as musical as that of Henry and Amy Beach. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many thanks to my sister, Brigid Doty, and my brother in law, Patrick Doty, for their timely assistance in transcribing the musical examples in Finale. I was able to meet a tight deadline because of your help. Thank you to my parents, Ann Schultz and Fr. Gregory Schultz, for believing in me and for being proud of me. You inspired me and encouraged me when I encountered obstacles. Thank you to my church family, the members of St. Michael the Archangel Serbian Orthodox Church, for always expressing interest in my work, for supporting me, and for making me feel loved and appreciated. Thank you to my dear professor, Dr. Kevin Chance, for helping me develop my topic and for guiding me through the process of creating this document. Thank you for never giving up on me as both a teacher and an advisor. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Jacob Adams, Dr. Joanna Biermann, Dr. Lisa Dorr, Dr. Jonathan Noffsinger, Dr. Edisher Savitski, and Dr. Amir Zaheri for being excited about my topic and for being a positive influence on the editing process. You all made yourselves available at the end of the semester when time was running out. I greatly appreciate your service on my committee. If it were not for all your support, this project would not have been possible. Thank you. iv CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………....ii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………………iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………………......iv LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES…………………………………………………………..…...vi CHAPTER 1. BEACH’S BACKGROUND……………………..………………………………..1 CHAPTER 2. ANALYSIS OF BEACH’S PIANO CONCERTO IN C-SHARP MINOR, OP.45 AND COMPARISON TO THE RECEPTION AT THE TIME OF ITS PREMIER TO MACDOWELL’S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 IN D MINOR, OP. 23………………………...13 CHAPTER 3. PERFORMANCE AND RECEPTION HISTORY OF BEACH’S CONCERTO, OP. 45……………………………………………………………………………………………40 Recent Performance and Reception of Concerto, Op. 45………………………….…………….42 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………….........47 REVIEW OF LITERATURE………...………………………………………………………….49 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………......71 v LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES Example. 1.1. Beach, “The Rainy Day”, mm. 1-9 ……………………………………………..…5 Example. 1.2. Beethoven, Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, Pathetique, Mvt. III, mm. 1-4……………6 Example 2.1. Beach, Concerto in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 45, Mvt. I, mm. 1-6, Theme 1………….19 Example 2.2. Beach, Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45, Mvt. I, Motive a, mm. 1-2………….20 Example 2.3. Beach, Concerto in C-sharp Minor, Op. 45, Mvt. I, Motive b, mm. 2-5………….20 Example 2.4. Beach, Mvt. I, mm. 407-410. Motive b…………………………………………...20 Example 2.5. Beach, Mvt. I, mm. 407-410. Motive b …………………………………………..20 Example 2.6. Beach, Mvt. I, mm. 223-227, Theme 1 …………………………………………...21 Example 2.7. Beach, Mvt. I, mm. 216-219, Theme 1 …………………………………………...22 Example 2.8. Beach, Mvt. I, mm. 69-74. Theme 2………………………………………………22 Example 2.9. Beach, “Jeune fille et jeune fleur,” Op. 1, No. 3, mm. 39-45. Theme 3 ………….23 Example 2.10. Beach, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Mvt. I, mm. 132-137, Theme 3……..24 Example 2.11. Beach, “Empress of Night,” Op. 2, No. 3, mm. 15-20…………………………..28 Example 2.12. “Empress of Night”, Op. 2, No. 3, mm. 1-5……………………………………..29 Example 2.13. Beach, Mvt. II, mm. 11-17………………………………………………………30 Example 2.14. Beach, “Empress of Night”, mm. 23-24…………………………………………30 Example 2.15. Beach, Mvt. II, mm. 101-108……………………………………………………31 Example 2.16. Beach, “Twilight,” Op. 2, No. 1, mm. 1-7…………………………………….…33 Example 2.17. Beach, Mvt. III, mm. 6-11……………………………………………………….34 Example 2.18. Beach, Mvt. III, mm. 1-2………………………………………………………...34 Example 2.19. Beach, “Twilight,” Op. 2, No. 1, mm. 47-53…………………………………….34 vi Example 2.20. Beach, Piano Concerto, Mvt. IV, mm. 1-4, Theme A…………………………...35 Example 2.21. Beach, Piano Concerto, Mvt. IV, mm. 46-49, Theme 2…………………………36 Example 2.22. Beach, Piano Concerto, Mvt. IV, mm. 124-128, Theme C……………………...38 Example 2.23. Beach, “Twilight”, Op. 2, No. 1, mm. 53-55………………………………….....39 vii CHAPTER 1 BEACH’S BACKGROUND Amy Beach (1867-1944) was born Amy Marcy Cheney to parents Charles Abbott Cheney (1844-1895)1 and Clara Imogene Marcy (1845-1911)2 on September 5, 1867 in West Henniker, New Hampshire. Her mother kept her away from the piano until she was four years old, although she begged to be allowed to play it earlier.3 At two years old she was already learning and singing complete songs. She had perfect pitch and synesthesia, making her pitch associations exceptionally vivid. Beach’s musicality was no coincidence. Her mother’s side of the family was musical as well. Her grandfather, Chester Marcy (1818-1849)4, played clarinet; her aunt, Mrs. L. H. Clement (1841-1925),5 was a singer; and her mother, who was her first music teacher, was an accomplished singer and pianist, who sometimes performed publicly.6 When Beach was four years old she wrote three waltzes. She composed them in her head with no assistance from a physical piano—a practice she would continue throughout her life. Her mother, Clara Cheney, was determined to prevent Beach from becoming a child prodigy because the cultural climate in the years directly after the civil war viewed child prodigies as cheap entertainment, and Clara was determined that Beach would become a serious musician. Although 1 Block, Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian, 15. 2 Block, Amy Beach, 6. 3 Block, Amy Beach, 5-6. 4 Block, Amy Beach, 16. 5 Block, Amy Beach, 16, 247. 6 Jenkins, The Remarkable Mrs. Beach, American Composer, 5. 1 Clara could not hide Beach’s talent from friends and family, she did her best to prevent Beach’s brilliance from making her too precocious by discouraging Beach’s listeners from expressing their admiration too enthusiastically.7 Finally, when Beach turned six, Clara began giving her three lessons per week but limited her practice time. A year later, when Beach was seven, Clara reluctantly allowed her to give her first public performance, a musicale in a private home in Boston to which the public was invited. The Folio, a Boston arts journal, published a favorable review, stating that she, “played with an accuracy and style which surprised every listener…the young pianist is exciting much surprise by the precocity of her musical talent.”8 She performed a Chopin waltz and one of her own waltzes as an encore. Although the performance attracted the attention of concert managers Clara resisted their advances, and Beach later stated she was grateful, “I shall always have the deepest gratitude for my inexperienced young parents that they did not allow me to be exploited by managers.”9 In 1875, when Beach was eight years old, the Cheneys moved to Boston. Clara searched for a new piano teacher for Beach since she felt Beach had outgrown her abilities. The Cheneys settled on Ernst Perabo, who was one of the foremost pianists and teachers in late nineteenth century Boston.