Janet Beat

Who is Janet Beat?

Janet Beat is a Scottish composer, music educator and music writer. She was born in Streetly, Staffordshire, England and studied piano privately and horn at the Birmingham Conservatoire before reading music at Birmingham University, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1960.

After completing her studies, she took a position teaching music with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She won the Cunningham Award in 1962. Her music has been performed internationally.

She is one of the women pioneers in electronic music composition in Great Britain for her earliest musique concrete pieces belong to the late 1950s. Daphne Oram was helpful and encouraging here. The influences on her music are diverse and include non-European music as well as the sounds of nature and industry. The use of music technology allowed her to make sonic explorations and the use of microtonality.