A Performer’s Handbook for the Foreign-Language Art Songs of Amy Beach
Open Access
Author:
Esslinger, Sarah
Area of Honors:
Music Education
Degree:
Bachelor of Music Education
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Rachel E Copeland, Thesis Supervisor Linda Carol Porter Thornton, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
art song Amy Beach foreign language
Abstract:
American composer Amy Beach (1867-1944) is best remembered for her compositions in the larger forms, such as her Gaelic Symphony and Mass in E-Flat. However, Amy Beach also composed 117 art songs, eighteen of which are set with foreign-language texts in French and German. Unfortunately, Beach’s remarkably expressive songs are not widely performed or appreciated. Their underrepresentation in the vocal canon can be partially explained by a lack of performance resources. This thesis establishes a resource in the history, performance, and lyric diction of Amy Beach’s French and German art songs.
