Amy Beach

Amy Beach (1867-1944) was born in West Henniker, New Hampshire, in northern USA, on 5 September 1867.

Amy Marcy Cheney, her maiden name, was musically quite precocious. In 1875 the Cheney family travelled to Boston and there she studied piano, harmony and counterpoint.

In defiance of her family and the society of the time, which clearly differentiated the duties and obligations of the two sexes, she wanted to devote herself entirely to music. At the age of 16, she made his debut as a pianist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.