Strings in the earth and air | Strings in the earth and air

by James Joyce (1882 - 1941)

Strings in the earth and air

Language: English

Our translations: FRE

Strings in the earth and air 
  Make music sweet; 
Strings by the river where 
  The willows meet. 

There's music along the river 
  For Love wanders there,
Pale flowers on his mantle, 
  Dark leaves on his hair. 

All softly playing, 
  With head to the music bent, 
And fingers straying 
  Upon an instrument.

Available sung texts: ← What is this?

• L. Berio • J. Coulthard

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Text Authorship:

by James Joyce (1882 - 1941), appears in Chamber Music, no. 1, first published 1907 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Samuel Hans Adler (b. 1928), "Strings in the earth", published 1957 [ satb chorus a cappella ], from Five Choral Poems [sung text not yet checked]
by David Arditti (b. 1964), no title, op. 20 no. 1 (1998) [ tenor and string quartet ], from Chamber Music, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "Make Music Sweet", 1991, published 1996 [ high voice or medium voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Samuel Barber (1910 - 1981), "Strings in the earth and air" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
by Phyllis Batchelor (1915 - 1999), "Strings in the Earth and Air", copyright © 2023 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Luciano Berio (1925 - 2003), "Strings in the earth and air", 1953, published 1954 [ female voice, clarinet, violoncello and harp ], from Chamber Music, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Lorne M. Betts (b. 1918), "Strings in the earth and air", 1951 [ high voice and piano ], from Six Songs to Poems of James Joyce [sung text not yet checked]
by Brian Boydell (1917 - 2000), "Strings in the earth and air", 1946 [ baritone and piano ], from Five Joyce Songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Benjamin Burrows (1891 - 1966), "Strings in the earth and air", 1928 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Israel Citkowitz (1909 - 1974), "Strings in the earth and air", published c1930, from Five Songs from "Chamber Music", no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Laurence Clarke , "Strings in the earth and air" [ soprano and piano ], from "Chamber Music": Five Poems by James Joyce [sung text not yet checked]
by Jean Coulthard (1908 - 2000), "Strings in the earth and air", 1946 [ medium voice and piano ], from Three Songs for Medium Voice and Piano, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927), "Strings in the earth and air", 1972-3 [ high voice and piano ], from A Miscellany of Love Songs, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Emma Lou Diemer (b. 1927), "Strings in the earth and air", published 2000 [ voice and piano ], from Four Songs, no. 1, in Art Songs by American Women Composers, Vol. 14, Southern Music Co. [sung text not yet checked]
by Joan Ferris , "Strings in the earth and air", published 1967 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Six Songs [sung text not yet checked]
by Ross Lee Finney (1906 - 1997), "Strings in the earth and air ", 1952, published 1985, first performed 1975 [ voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 1, Henmar Press [sung text not yet checked]
by J. Bertram Fox (1881 - 1946), "Strings in the earth", published 1926 [sung text not yet checked]
by Derek Healey (b. 1936), "Strings in the earth", op. 16 no. 2 (1962) [ voice and piano ], from Six Irish Songs, no. 2 [sung text not yet checked]
by Richard Hundley (1930 - 2018), "Strings in the earth and air", 1990 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Jack Marius Jarrett (b. 1934), "Strings in the earth", published 1964 [ satb chorus and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Sergius Kagen (1909 - 1964), "Strings in the earth and air", <<1953 [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by (Martin) William Karlins (1932 - 2005), "Quartet for strings" [ soprano and strings ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Hugo Kauder (1888 - 1972), "Strings in the earth", published 1955 [ soprano, alto, tenor, and string quartet ], from Ten Poems [sung text not yet checked]
by Christopher Kaye Le Fleming (b. 1908), "Strings in the earth and air", published 1955 [ SA chorus and piano and/or strings ] [sung text not yet checked]
by (Kurt) Rudolf Mengelberg (1892 - 1959), "Strings in the earth and air", published 1960 [ medium voice and piano ], from Chamber music, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernest John Moeran (1894 - 1950), "Strings in the earth and air", R. 51 no. 1 (1929), published 1930 [ mezzo-soprano or baritone and piano ], from Seven Poems by James Joyce, no. 1 [sung text not yet checked]
by Ivan Pawle , "Strings in the earth and air" [ orchestra ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Ernesto P. Pellegrini (b. 1932), "Strings in the earth and air", 1966 [ soprano and piano ], from Chamber Music I [sung text not yet checked]
by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Strings in the Earth", op. 266 (1950) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
by Wilhelm Rettich (1892 - 1988), "Strings in the earth", published 1973 [ voice and piano ], from Seven Songs for Voice and Piano [sung text not yet checked]
by Hermann Reutter (1900 - 1985), "Strings in the earth and air", 1972 [ low male voice and piano ], from Chamber Music, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Barry Seaman (b. 1946), "The last song", 1981 [ voice and piano ], from Chamber Music Book I, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
by Rick Sowash (b. 1950), "Strings in the earth and air", 1998 [ mezzo-soprano, viola, clarinet, flute, and piano ], from Along the River, no. 1 [sung text checked 1 time]
by Irwin Spector (b. 1916), "Strings in the earth and air" [ medium voice, oboe, viola, and piano ], from Songs of Love and Music [sung text not yet checked]
by Conrad Susa (b. 1935), "Strings in the earth and air", published 1973 [ satb chorus and piano ], from Chamber Music [sung text not yet checked]
by Karol Maciej Szymanowski (1882 - 1937), "Strings in the earth", op. 54 no. 5, published 1926 [ voice and piano ], from Pieśni do słów Jamesa Joyce'a, no. 5, also set in Polish (Polski) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

Also set in Hungarian (Magyar), a translation by Ágnes Gergely (b. 1933) , first published 1907 ; composed by András Mihály.
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Also set in Polish (Polski), a translation by Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz (1894 - 1980) ; composed by Karol Maciej Szymanowski.
- Go to the text.

Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 54