FERRIS, Joan

Joan Ferris is an American composer primarily recognized for her contributions to choral music. In 1967, she published her notable choral cycle, Six Songs. Written for unaccompanied SATB chorus (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass), the piece sets text from the Irish writer James Joyce’s lyric poetry collection, Chamber Music. According to records in The LiederNet Archive, the collection features musical settings for the following poems: Strings in the earth and air; The heart that flutters near my heart; Winds of May, that dance on the sea; O cool is the valley now; Bright cap and streamers; All day I hear the noise of waters.