The composer of the month for October is Amy Beach! She was born on September 5, 1867, in New Hampshire. She was a pianist and has been regarded as a child prodigy (she was composing simple melodies on the keyboard at the age of 4!). She was a true pioneer in the field of composing for women. Her composition Mass in E-Flat was the first work by a woman to be performed by organizations like the Boston Symphony and the Handel and Haydn Society. In 1894, she created the Gaelic Symphony which is the first symphony by an American woman composer! After the death of her husband, Henry H.A. Beach, in 1910, she moved to Europe where her work was greatly received. She died on December 27, 1944. Amy Beach composed over 150 works with some notable pieces including Piano Concerto in C-sharp Minor, op. 45; Violon Sonata in A Minor, op. 34; and Hermit Thrush at Morn, op. 92, no. 2.
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