Ann Wyeth McCoy facts for kids

Ann Wyeth McCoy (born March 15, 1915, died November 10, 2005) was a talented American artist. She was a composer, a pianist, and a painter. Ann was the youngest daughter of the famous artist and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. She was born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.

Ann had many interests. She loved music and learned to play the piano. She also studied how to compose music. Her father, N.C. Wyeth, taught her how to paint. When she was 19, a big orchestra performed one of her songs! The Philadelphia Orchestra played her piece called Christmas Fantasy in 1934. A famous conductor, Leopold Stokowski, led the performance.

In 1935, Ann married John W. McCoy, who was also an artist. They met when he studied painting with her father. Ann and John had three children: John Denys, Anna Brelsford, and Maude Robin. Ann started painting seriously after her children grew up. Her first art show, mostly with watercolors, was in the late 1960s.

Ann also had a lifelong love for antique porcelain dolls. This interest began when she was eight years old. Her parents gave her a doll for her birthday in 1923. After that, she received a new doll every birthday and Christmas. From 1972 to 2004, her amazing doll collection was shown at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford. It was a special display during the Christmas holidays.

The Brandywine River Museum has a collection of Ann Wyeth McCoy's work. It includes her letters, photos, musical pieces, and early drawings. This collection also shows how much she loved her antique dolls.

Musical Creations

Ann composed many songs. She wrote music for special people or events. For example, she wrote a tribute for a White House dinner honoring her brother, Andrew Wyeth. She also wrote lullabies for the children of her friends and family. Some of her songs were inspired by art, like her brother's paintings or a sculpture by Degas. She also set poems to music for the piano.

Here are some of her musical compositions:

Orchestra Pieces

• Christmas Fantasy
• In Memoriam (dedicated to her father N.C. Wyeth)
• Maine Summer

Piano Melodies

• Anna Kuerner
• Black Angus
• Brook in Winter
• Chambered Nautilus
• Children's Pieces
• Christmas
• Christmas Tree
• Embers
• Fog
• For John McCoy
• George VI: Death of a King
• Glen Mere Church, Maine
• Grandfather's Sleigh
• Helga Suite: Chorale
• In Memoriam: to NCW
• Lament for Christina Olson and Her World
• Maine Preludes
• Music Box for Betsy Wyeth
• Music for Jamie
• Newell
• Portrait of My Father N.C. Wyeth
• Prelude: After the Swans
• Reverie: In Memoriam Robert F. Kennedy
• Sarabande
• Soliloquy
• Song Sirens
• To a Wax Ballerina by Degas
• To John's Picture of Sandpipers
• To Robin McCoy and Her Horse Kilo
• Tone Poem on the Helga Paintings
• Triumphant Entrance and Lullaby for John Wyeth McCoy

Songs and Vocals

• Christmas Salutation from Chadd's Ford (words by N. C. Wyeth; music by Ann Wyeth McCoy)
• Songs