Cécile Louise Stéphanie Chaminade was a prominent French composer and pianist born on August 8, 1857, in Paris, France. She displayed exceptional musical talent from a young age, and her family recognized her potential early on. At the age of eight, Chaminade began her formal musical education at the Paris Conservatoire, where she studied piano with Félix Le Couppey and composition with Benjamin Godard.
Chaminade's talent quickly gained recognition, and by her teenage years, she was already performing her compositions in public. Her early works, including piano pieces and songs, showcased her remarkable melodic gift and garnered widespread acclaim. In 1877, at the age of twenty, she made her debut as a composer with the performance of her Trio in A minor at the Société Nationale de Musique.
Amy Marcy Cheney Beach, born on September 5, 1867, in Henniker, New Hampshire, was a pioneering American composer and pianist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. From a young age, Amy demonstrated exceptional musical talent, learning the piano from her mother at the age of six and composing her first piece by the age of four.
Despite the societal norms of her time that discouraged women from pursuing professional careers in music, Amy's talent could not be stifled. Encouraged by her mother, she began giving public performances at the age of seven, and by nine, she was already composing waltzes and polkas. Recognizing her extraordinary abilities, her family arranged for her to study in Boston with leading music instructors, including Carl Baermann and Ernst Perabo.