Miriam Hyde facts for kids

Miriam Beatrice Hyde (15 January 1913 – 11 January 2005) was an amazing Australian musician. She was a talented composer who wrote music, a brilliant classical pianist who performed, and a dedicated music educator who taught others. Miriam Hyde was also a poet, writing many poems throughout her life.

She created over 150 pieces for the piano and 50 songs. She also wrote music for other instruments and orchestras. As a concert pianist, she performed with famous conductors like Sir Malcolm Sargent and Sir Bernard Heinze. Besides music, she published books of poetry and even wrote a book about her own life.

Miriam Hyde's Life Story

Miriam Hyde was born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1913. Music was a big part of her family. Her mother, Muriel, played and taught piano. Her aunt, Clarice Gmeiner, played violin, viola, and harp with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. Miriam's younger sister, Pauline, played violin and sang.

Miriam's first music lessons were from her mother. In 1925, she won a special scholarship to attend the Elder Conservatorium of Music in Adelaide. This is a special school for music students.

After finishing her music degree in 1931, she won another scholarship. This allowed her to study at the Royal College of Music in London from 1932 to 1935. There, she learned composition from teachers like R. O. Morris and Gordon Jacob. She also studied piano with Howard Hadley and Arthur Benjamin. She won several awards for her compositions while studying there. During this time, she faced some personal challenges, and her mother traveled to England to support her.

Miriam gave her first concert in London in 1933. In 1934, her first Piano Concerto was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She played the piano part herself! In 1935, she performed with the London Symphony Orchestra. She also saw many other great musicians perform, including Rachmaninoff and Stravinsky.

She returned to Adelaide in 1936 and then moved to Sydney. For many years, she worked as a composer, performer, teacher, and lecturer. In Sydney, she met Marcus Edwards, and they married in 1939. They had two children, Christine (born 1950) and Robert (born 1951). During World War II, her husband was captured. While he was away, she taught music in Adelaide. She returned to Sydney after the war ended. Her long piano piece, Sonata in G minor (written from 1941 to 1944), shows how she felt during those war years.

After the war, she wrote other important pieces. These included the Happy Occasion Overture (1957) and the Kelso Overture (1959). She also wrote music for clarinet, string quartet, and flute. One of her most famous piano pieces is Valley of Rocks, written in 1975.

Miriam Hyde worked for the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) from 1945 to 1982. This organization sets music exams for students. She helped with exams, mentored students, and advised on what should be taught in music lessons.

She also wrote educational books to help students learn music. These included books for sight-reading, music forms, and ear training. She even wrote a book for adults who were just starting to learn piano.

Her love for words was as strong as her love for music. She wrote almost 500 poems, and some of them she turned into songs.

Miriam Hyde received many honors for her work. In 1981, she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1991, she became an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). These are special awards given to people who have done great things for their country. In 1993, she received an honorary doctorate from Macquarie University. In 2004, she won an award for her outstanding contributions to Australian music.

She was also a patron for music teacher associations in South Australia and New South Wales. This means she supported and helped these groups. She even started the Miriam Hyde Award for the Music Teachers' Association of South Australia.

In 1991, her autobiography, Complete Accord, was published. This book tells her life story.

Miriam celebrated her 80th birthday in 1993 by performing concerts across Australia. When she was 89, she gave her last performance of her Piano Concerto No. 2. Her 90th birthday in 2003 was celebrated with concerts and radio broadcasts all over Australia.

After the mid-1990s, and even after her death in 2005, many of her music pieces were published. This included over 100 works for piano, chamber music, and voice.

Miriam Hyde passed away in 2005, just a few days before her 92nd birthday.

Miriam Hyde's Music

Miriam Hyde wrote many different kinds of music. Her compositions include pieces for orchestras, piano concertos (which are like conversations between a piano and an orchestra), songs, and chamber music (music for small groups of instruments). She also wrote many solos for piano and flute.

Her music style is often described as "pastoral," which means it sounds like nature or peaceful countryside. She combined elements of "impressionism" (music that creates a mood or picture) with "post-romanticism" (music that is expressive and emotional).

One of her most famous piano pieces is Valley of Rocks, written in 1975. Her Piano Concerto No. 1 (1933), Piano Concerto No. 2 (1935), and Village Fair (1943) for orchestra are some of her most broadcast works.

A lesser-known but beautiful piece is Reflected Reeds (1956). It uses flowing chords to create a picture of the Sydney landscape on a quiet afternoon.

Miriam stopped writing music after her husband passed away in 1995. Her music is still recorded today, for example, the "Fantasy for piano trio" was featured on the "Romantic Piano Trios" recording by Trio Anima Mundi in 2013.

Miriam Hyde's Writing

Writing poetry was just as important to Miriam Hyde as writing music. She once said that sometimes she wasn't sure if her ideas would become words or music.

Three collections of her poems were published: The Bliss of Solitude (1941), A Few Poems (1942), and Dawn to Dusk (1947?). She also wrote her autobiography, Complete Accord (1991). She generously donated the money she earned from her autobiography to the Elder Scholarship. This was the same scholarship that helped her study music in 1931.