Mother's Day 2019: Amy Beach's Empress of the Night/Scherzo of the piano concerto

“Amy Beach (1867-1944) was an American composer and a real pioneer for female composers in the 19th and 20th century. Her song 'Empress of the Night' was dedicated to her mother Clara Cheney and uses a text by her husband, Henry Beach. She went on to use the melody as the basis for the Scherzo of her Piano Concerto, which she wrote in 1899.”

TEXT

Empress of Night
by Henry Harris Aubrey Beach

Out of the darkness,
Radiant with light,
Shineth her Brightness,
Empress of Night.

As granules of gold,
From her lofty height,
Or cataract bold
(Amazing sight!)

Falleth her jewels
On ev’ry side,
Lighting the joybells,
Of Christmastide.

Piercing the treeboughs
That wave in the breeze,
Painting their shadows
Among dead leaves;

Kissing the sea foam
That flies in the air,
When tossed from its home
In waves so fair;

Silv’ring all clouds
That darken her way,
As she lifts the shrouds,
Of breaking day.



Happy Mother’s Day!

https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/occasions/classical-music-mothers-day/
https://songofamerica.net/song/empress-of-night-op-2-no-3/