Pitch Perfect and Persistent!: The Musical Debut of Amy Cheney Beach [Hardcover]

Discover the untold yet inspiring story of Amy Beach, musician extraordinaire and the first successful woman composer in America.

With perfect pitch and fierce persistence, Amy Beach always knew she had to make music. There was just one BIG problem. Her mother believed it was not proper or suitable for a young lady to draw attention to herself, let alone take on a musical career. But give in or give up? Not Amy Beach. She demanded to play the piano. Demanded to have a real teacher. Demanded to perform. Luckily—for the world!—Amy’s persistence paid off. At just sixteen years old, Amy Beach found herself on the stage of Boston’s Music Hall—and the start of a brilliant career. A female composer who paved the way—perfectly! 2024 Kansas NEA Reading Circle List
A Bank Street Best Children's Book

★ “A profile of the early life of a 19th-century musical prodigy… carefully chosen details paint a portrait of a remarkable young person.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Paired with Jay’s vibrant illustrations, with a cracked-paint-like texture that pops off the page like paintings of the period, this lively tale will introduce young readers to a new and important historical figure who—in ways such as playing by ear or memory to linking colors with sounds—proves a truly remarkable figure. This charming introduction to Beach’s life and career is explored in further historical detail in the extensive back matter. —Booklist

In a picture book exploration of the childhood of composer and musician Amy Cheney Beach (1867–1944), DeLems spotlights a barrier-breaking feminist in the male-dominated 19th-century musiclÓÃ