Amy Beach and her Romance for Violin and Piano opus.23

. The Romance for Violin and Piano was published by Arthur P. Schmit Company in 1893, and dedicated to violinist Mau Powell. In July, 1893, the work was premiered by Powell and Beach at The Musical Congress in Chicago. Due to its popularity during Beach’s Life, it maybe her most frequently performed chamber works. And The Romance is one of several works which were reviewed by German critics:

This work now presented for review shows in every respect remarkable progress. In the Romance, grateful thought difficult of performance, a warm melodic feeling i

. . .
The next generation of woman composers found courage in Beach’s record as pathfinder and model, formalizing her role with honorific title of dean of American women composers. The contrasting B section that follows presents the theme in various keys, including F major, F# major, and D major, before returning to A major. The texture of the piano writing, as already mentioned, is both song-loke and orchestral in the contrasting section. It modulates into and through various key centers, but well-defined authentic cadences sectionalized it into three distinct parts. Care must be taken to bring out the melodic motive hidden in the many of the chordal passages. It more accurately resemble the music of Liszt, and encompasses the greater part of the piece.

The theme begins by outlining the dominant E major chord, and is constructed of two four-measure phrases ending on the dominant E. She also used idea of excerpt of the Schumann song which is syncopated chordal patter in the piano accompaniment. Because of rapid harmonic rhythm, the middle section does not reinforce a single key.

The B section begins the textural changes. This song-like texture quickly change into a repetitive block-chord figuration, following the authentic cadence into the dominant key of E major at the beginning of the B section. From the theme, a melodic fragment from the introduction, also shown in measure 5-6 of the violin part, is expanded and transformed as a recurring figure throughout the entire work. Although it is monothematic, it makes use of a harmonic figure built on diminished chord, which is expanded and transformed in various ways, producing a contrasting, transitional figure. Likewise, there are many similarities to be found in the music of Brahms, who was also fond of this same syncopated chordal figure. However, it can not be denied that she is one of most important women composers, and gave good influence to next generation of women composers.

Common topics in this essay:
Kneisel Qurtet, Beachs Life, Beach American, Romance Romantic, Schmit Company, Powell July, women composers, Chicago Due, key major, Violin Piano, contrasting section, syncopated chordal, expanded transformed, diminished chords, piano introduction, american women,

Approximate Word count = 774
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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