Elizabeth Margaret "Betty" Beath, née Eardley, (born 19 November 1932) is an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator.

Betty Beath was born in Bundaberg, Queensland, and began piano lessons at the age of three. She was twice a finalist in the ABC Concerto competition when in her teens. In 1950, she was awarded a University of Queensland Music Scholarship, which took her to tto study under the composer and pianist, Frank Hutchens at the Sydney Conservatorium and also at the Queensland Conservatorium, with Max Olding and Dr. Janet Delpratt.
After completing her education, Beath settled in Brisbane and took positions as an accompanist and later teacher at Queensland Conservatorium and was Head of Music at St. Margaret's Girls' School, Brisbane. She is an Examiner with the Australian Music Examinations Board. Beath received a Southeast Asian Fellowship from the Australia Council in 1974 to conduct research in Bali and Java. She is married to author/illustrator, David Cox.
She represented women composers of Australia at the 3rd International Congress on Women in Music, held in Mexico City in 1984.[3] She has also been an executive member of the International League of Women Composers.
State Library of Queensland has in its collection a digital story and oral history of Betty Beath. In this extensive interview she speaks with Laurel Dingle about her life as a music composer, performer and teacher, from her earliest memories to the present day. (1950-2014). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.