Firstly, she possessed perfect pitch, which enabled her to play music entirely by ear. These extraordinary musical talents at such a young age can be associated with certain innate conditions she possessed. She could also play music by ear, including four-part hymns. At four, she composed three waltzes for piano during one summer at her grandfather's farm in West Henniker, NH, despite the absence of a piano instead, she composed the pieces mentally and played them when she returned home. She was able to sing forty songs accurately by age one, she was capable of improvising counter-melody by age two, and she taught herself to read at age three. Artistic ability ran in the family: Clara was reputedly an "excellent pianist and singer," while Amy showed every sign of being a child prodigy. Cheney, who co-founded Bates College) and Clara Imogene (Marcy) Cheney. As a pianist, she was acclaimed for concerts she gave featuring her own music in the United States and in Germany.īiography Early years and musical education Īmy Marcy Cheney was born in Henniker, New Hampshire, on Septem to Charles Abbott Cheney (nephew of Oren B. She was one of the first American composers to succeed without the benefit of European training, and one of the most respected and acclaimed American composers of her era.
Her "Gaelic" Symphony, premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1896, was the first symphony composed and published by an American woman. She was the first successful American female composer of large-scale art music. Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (September 5, 1867 – December 27, 1944) was an American composer and pianist.