The anthems and service music of Amy Beach published by the Arthur P. Schmidt Company

Amy Marcy Cheney Beach (Mrs. H. H. A. Beach) (1867-1944) is recognized as the first American woman to achieve great distinction as a composer. This thesis examines the anthems, liturgical music, and the Cantata, Canticle of the Sun, and demonstrates when these works were written, where they were performed, how they were received, and how widespread was their performance. The texts and music are examined for their relationship to the late nineteenth-century theological and philosophical ideas of the Episcopal Church. Research methodology centers upon two collections of original materials: the Arthur P. Schmidt Publishing Company Collection in the Library of Congress and the Amy Beach Collection in the University of New Hampshire Library, which include correspondence, music manuscripts, scrapbooks, and memorabilia. The comprehensive information set forth in this thesis makes clear that Beach made a significant contribution to American sacred choral repertoire.