Amy Beach: Romance for Violin and Piano

Anastasiia Mazurok (violin) and Mădălina-Claudia Dănilă (piano) perform Romance for violin and piano by Amy Beach, a gem of the classical repertoire. Amy Beach is perhaps one of the most well-remembered women composers. Many articles about Amy Beach focus on the sexism she encountered throughout her life and the ways in which she overcame it. It is important to understand this, as it affected the way she was able to work. Amy married Dr. Henry Aubrey Beach, who was a Boston-based surgeon. Henry did not agree with Amy giving so many recitals, so he restricted her to just two a year, with all proceeds from these recitals going to charity. Due to this, Amy began to focus more on composition. Henry forbade Amy to learn composition formally, so she instead bought an abundance of books on composition, orchestration, and arranging so she could learn her own art. Even through this, Amy is still recognized as a powerful force when it comes to composition. Romance for violin and piano was premiered in 1893, and published within the same year. Technical complexity is at the heart of many of Amy Beach’s compositions, with this one being no exception. The relationship between the piano and violin is very special in this particular work, due to the amount of musical communication between the two instruments. Amy’s originality is crystallized in Romance, with it being a real homage to technical chamber music from the Romantic era. Romance is dedicated to Maud Powell, a close personal friend of Amy, and also a virtuoso violinist. The premiere of Romance was played by Maud and Amy, and it is noted that it was received incredibly well by the audience.