Spring 2002 Volume XXXI, No. 2

Meditations on Coltrane's Legacies by Salim Washington Reminiscing on Ruth by Bess Lomax Hawes New Music Notes by Carol J. Oja An Amy Beach Discography by Adrienne Fried Block ISAM Matters Reviews Celebrating Jelly Roll by Jeff Taylor Listening to Beach by Liane Curtis Transcribing the Folk by David Evans Our Singing Children by Jane Palmquist ISAM Home

Listening to Beach by Liane Curtis The work of scholars and performers has often gone hand in hand in changing the standard repertoire. Both have recognized that significant works of art have been neglected because of sexism and have sought to rectify this situation. The many recent recordings of music by Amy Beach demonstrate that such work is now taking root. The first substantial interest in Beach occurred in the 1970s, simultaneously with “second wave” feminism. Pianist Virginia Eskin’s extraordinary recordings in the 1970s and 1980s sparked widespread interest in Beach’s music.1 Along with pianist Mary-Louise Boehm’s recordings of Beach’s monumental piano concerto, piano quintet, and Variations on Balkan Themes, Beach’s place in the musical mainstream should have been ensured, but she remained invisible from music history. If Beach was mentioned at all, her music was often dismissed as trivial, suitable only for the parlor. With a significant body of scholarship on Beach now available, including Adrienne Fried Block’s authoritative biography, and with many performers who are dedicated to her music, it seems likely that Beach will not be dropped out of history yet again.2 Beach’s piano concerto exudes the confident bravura of the works in the same genre by Tchaikovsky and Grieg, as can be readily heard in the first movement, with its expansive cascading arpeggios and brilliant, closely spaced chords in the piano. The recordings by Joanne Polk (Arabesque ZR Z6738, 2000) and Mary-Louise Boehm (Vox Box CDX 5069, [1976] 1992) both capture the compelling dynamism of the work. Boehm, however, offers more warmth and intensity in the piano tone, as in the second movement, which draws upon Beach’s own “Empress of the Night” song. Here Boehm brings out the lyricism of the piano part so it provides a rich contrapuntal statement. In Boehm’s recording (with the Westphalian Orchestra) the brass play with a dated style of vibrato, and the remastering suffers from some technical problems, such as the tinny timbre near the end of the second movement. Polk’s recording is energetic, and the orchestra plays a strong role. The generalization that Beach’s music is sentimental and old-fashioned is unfortunately still held by people who know little of her music. Her Quartet for Strings easily dispels such beliefs. This cerebrally introspective work reveals her study of Beethoven’s late quartets. The striking opening, with its dark harmonic motion of abstract ideas, is gripping in its purity and intensity. The work eventually foregrounds its Native American thematic content (melodies of the Alaskan Inuit), first with the insistent and probing “Summer Song,” and later with the sprightly “Itiajung’s Song,” which is given intricate contrapuntal and fugal treatment. The Lark Quartet offers a thoughtful interpretation of the Quartet (Arabesque AR Z6748, 2000). While their performance is rich and satisfying, I sometimes wished for more edginess and intensity in their interpretation. The Theme and Variations for Flute and Strings was recorded by Doriot Anthony Dwyer and the Manhattan String Quartet in 1990, a recording that is sadly now out of print.3 Its theme (based on one of Beach’s choral works that employs a Native American melody) is haunting and mournful in its initial statement by all strings. A sprightly (although minor and chromatic) waltz-like variation evokes Vienna. Two recent recordings reveal the beauty of this evocative piece. The Ambache Chamber Players capture the rich layers of insight in this expansive work (Chandos CHAN 9752, 1999). Another lovely recording is by flautist Eugenia Zukerman and the Shanghai String Quartet (Delos DE 3173, 1995), although in some passages—the dramatically climbing cello solo of Variation 5, for instance—it lacks the intensity of the Ambache’s. A vast amount of Beach’s total output of more than 300 published works remains little known, particularly her choral music (both sacred and secular) and some other large works. The Capitol Hill Choral Society’s recording of Beach’s Canticle of the Sun and other of her choral works, including the gem-like unaccompanied choral responses, is particularly important (Troy 295, 1998). Their vivid performance of the Canticle makes this recording a revelation. This highly chromatic work uses a repeating ostinato, evocative of Stravinsky’s Firebird. While one might wish for more refined soloists, this moving recording stands up to repeated hearings. I hope it will inspire more ensembles to perform this serious and powerful work. The availability of these recent recordings is certainly cause for celebration, yet more remains to be done. Beach’s monumental Mass in Eb is unavailable apart from poor amateur recordings. Beach left the orchestration of her Balkan Variations unfinished; it should be completed and performed. Additional recordings of her “Gaelic” Symphony and of her opera Cabildo should be available. Only Neeme Järvi’s recording of the “Gaelic” with the Detroit Symphony does it justice, and the 1995 recording of Beach’s opera is of a live performance.4 While much of Beach’s music can be now heard, there are still some serious lacunae in the discography, especially of works for larger ensembles. This recent batch of recordings will, however, help us to build a multi-layered understanding of Beach’s remarkable spectrum of artistic achievement. —Women’s Studies Research Center Brandeis University Notes Click on note number to return to its place in the text. 1 Eskin’s all-Beach recordings include a wide range of Beach’s piano music, including the Prelude and Fugue, op. 81 (Koch 3-7254-2HI, [1975] 1995), Les Rêves de Colombine and Variations on Balkan Themes (Northeastern NR 22, 1987), and a number of Beach’s character pieces, songs, and shorter piano works. 2 Adrienne Fried Block, Amy Beach, Passionate Victorian: The Life and Work of an American Composer, 1867-1944 (Oxford University Press, 1998). 3 Koch International Classics 3-7001-2, 1990. 4 Symphony in E minor (Chandos Records CHAN 8958, 1991); Cabildo (Delos DE 3170, 1995).