Selected Piano Music for Children by Nineteenth-Century Female Composers: Cécile Chaminade and Amy Beach

Abstract

Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) and Amy Beach (1867-1944) were two significant pianists and composers in the nineteenth century. They both wrote elementary and intermediate-level pieces suitable for young students. Among these educational pieces are works with titles specific to “children.” These pieces are: Chaminade’s Children’s Album I, op. 123; Children’s Album II, op. 126 and Beach’s Children’s Carnival, op. 25; Children’s Album, op. 36. In this paper, eighteen pieces selected from their works are analyzed and categorized into three levels. Preparatory exercises are provided for each piece.