American-born Vivian Fine (1913-2000) was a child prodigy on piano and began composing at age thirteen. She worked consistently as composer for almost seventy years and was a student of Ruth Crawford Seeger, who saw her as a protegée.
She was only sixteen when she made her professional debut as a composer, and went on to compose widely for voice and instruments, including chamber works and large works. You can listen to many recordings, and learn more about Fine and her works, at www.vivianfine.org. She was well respected and often performed during her lifetime, receiving multiple commissions, awards, and honors—including being elected to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Her music manuscripts can be found at the Library of Congress.
Here is Fine’s Alecstis, commissioned by Martha Graham in 1960: