Ross Lee Finney

“Ross L. Finney” redirects here. For other uses, see Ross L. Finney (disambiguation).
Ross Lee Finney Junior (December 23, 1906–February 4, 1997) was an American composer born in Wells, Minnesota who taught for many years at the University of Michigan. He studied with Nadia Boulanger, Edward Burlingame Hill, Alban Berg (from 1931-2) and Roger Sessions (in 1935).

His students included Leslie Bassett, George Crumb and Roger Reynolds.

According to the notes for the Composers Recordings, Inc. recording of Finney's second cello sonata (about 1953), Chromatic Fantasy In E for Violoncello Solo (1957) and second piano trio (1954), he received the Prix de Rome in 1960 and the Brandeis Medal in 1968. (He is quoted in those notes as having begun writing serial music from time to time beginning with his sixth string quartet (a work which uses serial principles but is "in E" on the score), his next work to be composed after the sonata.

He wrote eight string quartets, four symphonies as well as other orchestral works, other chamber works and songs.

He died in 1997.

Selected worklist
Concertos
For violin and orchestra (1933, revised 1947)
For saxophone and orchestra (about 1974)
Two Piano concertos (one in 1949)
Concerto for percussion and orchestra (about 1965)
Orchestral works
Spaces
Four symphonies
Chamber music
Eight string quartets
Three violin sonatas (about 1934, ?, 1957)
Two cello sonatas (number one published around 1941, number two in C published around 1953)
Six piano sonatas
Sonatas for viola (at least two, no. 1 published around 1937, no. 2 around 1971)
Piano trio in E minor (about 1930)
Piano quartet (1948)
2 Piano quintets (second written 1961)
String quintet (published 1966)
Quartet for oboe, violoncello, percussion and piano (1979)
Song cycles
"Chamber music", to words by James Joyce
"Poor Richard," to words by Benjamin Franklin