Jean Sibelius Biography
Finland's Greatest 19th Century Nationalist Composer and Conductor
The life and works of Finland's greatest composer Jean Sibelius, famous for orchestral piece Finlandia and Symphony No.5.
Considered the most distinguished Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was comfortably brought up in a musical environment by his mother and grandmother. He was born on December 8, 1865, in Hämeenlinna, Finland, a son of an army doctor.
Early Life
Sibelius showed a great ability in music early on, both as a violinist and composer. He had hopes of becoming a virtuoso violinist. He studied in Helsinki from 1886. Three years later, he went to Berlin to continue his composition studies, then after a year, to Vienna. He acquired a thorough knowledge of Viennese classics through playing in his family's string trio.
In 1892 he married Aino Jarnefelt and had five children.
After studies in Germany, he became a passionate nationalist, capturing popular feeling of protest particularly oppression. Further nationalist sentiments were aroused by his orchestral piece Finlandia (1899), considered his most famous work which became an unofficial national anthem, and with him becoming Finland’s national hero.
Symphonies and other Key Compositions
From nationalistic tones of symphonic poems such as En saga, he managed to move to a more personal style through his symphonies: starting from Symphony no.1 (1899) and culminating in the seventh symphony (1924) - a summation of his career as a composer, beyond which it was difficult to develop. Symphony No.5 is considered his most popular.
His other key works include Karelia Suite, The Swan of Tuonela, Violin Concerto and incidental music to the play Kuolema (Death), incidental music to the play Pelleas et Melisande and symphonic fantasy Pohjola’s Daughter. In 1929 he abruptly ceased composing and conducting, and spent his life as a recluse. His last composition was Tapiola, (referring to the Finnish forest god Tapio), considered as one of his masterpieces.
Restoration of his many works to their original state has helped dispel his conservative image, revealing unexpected radical features. However his works, particularly Finlandia and his seven symphonies, among others, are enough to confirm him a significant musical figure of all time.
Major Works of Jean Sibelius
- Symphonic poem, En Saga 1892
- Karelia Suite 1893
- Four Lemminkäinen Legends, including 'The Swan of Tuonela' 1895
- Symphony No.2 1902
- Violin Concerto 1903
- Incidental music to Kuolema ('Death'), including 'Valse Triste' 1903
- Incidental music toPelléas et Melisande 1905
- Symphonic fantasy, Pohjola's Daughter 1906
- Symphony No.3 1907
- Symphony No.4 1911
- Symphonic poem, The Oceanides
- Symphony No.5 1915
- Symphony No.6 1923
- Symphony No.7 1924
- Symphonic poem, Tapiola 1926
Recommended Works
- Finlandia
- Symphony No.5
- Tapiola
- Violin Concerto
Sources:
The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, 2nd Edition, edited by Stanley Sadie (2000)
The Oxford Companion to Music, edited by Alison Latham (2000)
