Leaders of Women
In the early 20th century two women stood out as leaders of women composers, promoters of American music and in particular American women composers. These women were friends and colleagues ... Mrs. Amy Beach and Gena Branscombe. Their intersecting lives left an indelible mark on American music and today's women composers benefit from the paths these two laid down for them. Mrs. Amy Beach was born Amy Marcy Cheney in Henniker, New Hampshire in 1867 and became Mrs. H.H.A. Beach in 1885 when at the age of 18 she married the famous physician, Henry Harris Aubrey Beach. She was a child prodigy on the piano making her concert debut at the age of 16 in Boston. Imagine my surprise when I first met Gena Tenney Phenix in 2000 and asked her if during her childhood had she ever met Mrs. Beach? Her response was, "Oh, you mean Aunt Amy? No, I do not remember meeting her though I know she was in our home when we lived on West 82nd Stree...