Jean Sibelius(1865-1957)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish classical composer, one of the last composers of the Romantic-era (c. 1800-1910) in classical music. His works were often inspired by nature, by Nordic mythology, and by the Finnish epic poem "Kalevala" (1849). Sibelius completed most of his major works between the 1890s and 1926. He lived in semi-retirement from 1926 to his death in 1957, only completing a few works during these 30 years. Having completed 7 notable symphonies, Sibelius spend nearly 15 years working on an unfinished 8th symphony, He abandoned this effort in 1938, and only short manuscript sketches have survived from this work.
In December 1865, Sibelius was born in the city of Hameenlinna. The city is named after Hame Castle, which is located there. At the time of Sibelius' birth, the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous region of the Russian Empire. His parents were the physician Christian Gustaf Sibelius and his wife Maria Charlotta Sibelius Borg. The family name Sibelius derived from the Sibbe estate in Eastern Uusimaa, which belonged to his paternal ancestors.
In 1868, Christian Sibelius died due to typhoid fever. He left substantial debts to his family. His widow sold their property, and then started living with her own widowed mother, Katarina Borg. Sibelius was primarily raised by his mother and his maternal grandfather, having few contacts with male relatives. The exception was his uncle Pehr Ferdinand Sibelius, an amateur violinist. Pehr encouraged his nephew's interest in music, and served as a surrogate father to him. In 1875, Pehr brought a violin as a gift for his nephew.
Sibelius received piano lessons from an aunt during his childhood, but preferred to play the violin. During his childhood and adolescence, Sibelius performed in various musical trios and quartets with his siblings and a number of neighbors. In 1881, Sibelius composed one of his earliest works, the short pizzicato piece "Vattendroppar" (Water Drops) for violin and cello. That same year, he started receiving violin lessons from the local bandmaster Gustaf Levander.
Sibelius graduated from a secondary school in 1885, after repeating a year due to poor grades. He was thought to be an absent-minded pupil, whose only notable skills were in the subjects of mathematics and botany. Following his graduation, Sibelius briefly studied law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland. He was more interested in a music education, so he soon transferred to the Helsinki Music Institute (which was later renamed to the Sibelius Academy in his honor).
In the Institute, Sibelius received his first formal lessons in composition. He befriended his young teacher Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) and several of his classmates. He also befriended Aino Jarnefelt (1871-1969), the sister of a classmate. He soon started courting Aino, and they eventually married each other in 1892.
Sibelius graduated from the Institute in 1889, and then continued his musical studies in Berlin and Vienna. While living in Vienna, Sibelius started working on the symphonic poem "Kullervo " (1892). It was an adaptation of a section of the "Kalevala", about a suicidal tragic hero, and his failed efforts at seeking redemption for a crime. The completed poem was the breakthrough hit in Sibelius' career. Sibelius was praised by critics for the "confidence and inventiveness of his writing", and for successfully evoking "the melody and rhythm of Finnic rune singing".
From 1892 onward, Sibelius was primarily interested in composing orchestral music. His next popular work was the choral composition "Vainamoinen's Boat Ride" (April 1893). Between 1893 and 1895, Sibelius' works were frequently presented in Helsinki's concert halls. During this period, he supplemented his income by working as a music teacher at various music schools. In 1898, Sibelius was awarded a substantial annual grant. The grant was initially supposed to financially support him for a decade, but was later extended to a permanent annual grant.
In 1899, Sibelius completed his First Symphony. At about the same timer, he completed the Finnish patriotic song "Song of the Athenians". It became a symbol of Finnish nationalism. Sibelius' tone poem "Finlandia" (1900) was inspired by the national struggle of the Finnish people, and was in part used to protest against Russian repression. It became one of his most popular works.
In 1900, Sibelius went on an international tour, which introduced his works to audiences in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Paris. He received critical praise, and gained international fame. He completed his Second Symphony in 1902, which was met with enthusiasm by the Finnish public. By that time, Sibelius' works were also regularly performed in Germany. In 1903, Sibelius composed incidental music for the play "Kuolema" (Death), written by his brother-in-law Arvid Jarnefelt. The music turned out to be more popular than the play, particularly the play's opening number, "Valse triste" (Sad Waltz).
In November 1903, Sibelius started the construction of his new home: Ainola (Aino's Place). It was named in honor of his wife Aino, and located near Lake Tuusula. Sibelius financed the house's construction with the profits from his series of concerts in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. The house was completed by September 1904, when Sibelius and his family moved in. He soon befriended a number of painters and writers who lived in the area.
During the 1900s, Sibelius had a reputation of overspending on luxury foods and alcoholic drinks. In 1907, he resolved to give up drinking. His wife was ill at the time and recovering in a sanatorium, so he had to devote more time to his family and its needs. Later that year, Sibelius himself underwent an operation for suspected throat cancer. He was still in poor health for much of 1908, and he had a second operation on his throat. He was convinced that he had to quit both smoking and drinking to survive. Due to his poor health during 1908, Sibelius had to cancel his scheduled concerts in Rome, Warsaw, and Berlin.
In 1909, Sibelius had mostly recovered from his health problems, and he resumed traveling abroad. He was met with enthusiastic audiences in the United Kingdom, where his previous tours had received lukewarm responses. In 1910, he introduced his newest works to audiences in the city of Kristiania, Norway (later renamed to Oslo). In early 1911, Sibelius went on a concert tour in Sweden. Later that year, he completed his Fourth Symphony. It received mixed reviews in Finland, it was met with enthusiasm by British music lovers, and was openly ridiculed by American audiences in New York City. In 1914, Sibelius' sea music composition "The Oceanides" was met with far more enthusiasm at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, in Norfolk, Connecticut.
World War I (1914-1918) had an adverse effect on Sibelius' finances, as his royalties from abroad were interrupted. He continued working anyway. In December 1915, Sibelius completed his Fifth Symphony. He conducted its premiere on 8 December, the date of his 50th birthday. He worked for most of 1916 on a revised version of the Symphony, in part due to his own perfectionist tendencies. He was perceiving flaws even on his praised works.
During the Finnish Civil War (1918), Sibelius supported the anti-communist "Whites" but took no part in the armed conflict. His house was twice searched for weapons by the communist Red Guard, but they failed to find any weapon. Red Guard fighters escorted Sibelius and his family to Helsinki, as their commander-in-chief had guaranteed Sibelius' safety in a diplomatic agreement.
In 1919, Sibelius presented his Second Symphony at a concern in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was his first concert outside the borders of Finland since 1915. By the end of the year, he had completed his final revision of the Fifth Symphony and had started work on his Sixth Symphony. In 1920, he started struggling with a hand tremor, but still managed to complete more works, In that year, Sibelius received a donation of 63,000 marks from Finnish businesses. This allowed him to pay part of his debts from previous years,.
In the early 1920s, Sibelius entered negotiations with the American businessman and philanthropist George Eastman (1854 -1932). Eastman wanted Sibelius to accept a teaching position at the Eastman School of Music which he had founded, and was willing to pay handsomely. Sibelius eventually turned down the offer, because he was reluctant to move to New York.
In 1921, Sibelius had a series of successful concerts in England and Norway. But he was increasingly feeling fatigued. In 1922, he started using spectacles for the first time. He was having headaches when he tried to read without them. In February 1923, Sibelius completed his Sixth Symphony. His concerts of that year were met with enthusiasm in Sweden, but they were poorly received in Italy. By that time, Sibelius had started overindulging in alcoholic drinks. He seemed intoxicated during a public appearance in Gothenburg.
In early 1924, Sibelius completed his Seventh Symphony. It was received more positively in Denmark, rather than in Finland. In Denmark that year, Sibelius was honored with the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. This Danish chivalric order is typically awarded for contribution to the arts and sciences. In 1925, the Royal Danish Theatre asked Sibelius to compose incidental music for the play "The Tempest" (1610/1611) by William Shakespeare. This composition premiered in March 1926. By that time, Sibelius was struggling with "essential tremor" (a muscle disorder) and was self-medicating with alcohol.
In 1926, Sibelius entered his semi-retirement. He rarely completed new works, and mostly avoided any interviews and public appearances. He spend years working on his unfinished Eighth Symphony, before giving up. In the Summer of 1941, Sibelius and his family moved back to Ainola after an absence of several years. He spend much of the rest of his life there, rarely bothering to visit Helsinki. He received visitors there, and his various grandchildren and great-grandchildren spend their holidays at Ainola with him.
In 1955, Sibelius' 90th birthday was celebrated with special performances of his works by both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the (British) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In September 1957, Sibelius died due to a brain hemorrhage (bleeding within the skull). He was 91-years-old at the time of his death. His death was honored with a moment of silence at the United Nations General Assembly.
Sibelius was honored with a state funeral in Finland. He was buried in the garden of his residence at Ainola. His widow Aino continued living at Ainola until her own death in 1969. She was buried beside him at the garden. In 1972, Sibelius' last surviving daughters sold Ainola to the Finnish state. In 1974, Ainola was turned into a museum. Sibelius has repeatedly been memorialized in Finnish art, stamps, and currency since his death.
In December 1865, Sibelius was born in the city of Hameenlinna. The city is named after Hame Castle, which is located there. At the time of Sibelius' birth, the city was part of the Grand Duchy of Finland, an autonomous region of the Russian Empire. His parents were the physician Christian Gustaf Sibelius and his wife Maria Charlotta Sibelius Borg. The family name Sibelius derived from the Sibbe estate in Eastern Uusimaa, which belonged to his paternal ancestors.
In 1868, Christian Sibelius died due to typhoid fever. He left substantial debts to his family. His widow sold their property, and then started living with her own widowed mother, Katarina Borg. Sibelius was primarily raised by his mother and his maternal grandfather, having few contacts with male relatives. The exception was his uncle Pehr Ferdinand Sibelius, an amateur violinist. Pehr encouraged his nephew's interest in music, and served as a surrogate father to him. In 1875, Pehr brought a violin as a gift for his nephew.
Sibelius received piano lessons from an aunt during his childhood, but preferred to play the violin. During his childhood and adolescence, Sibelius performed in various musical trios and quartets with his siblings and a number of neighbors. In 1881, Sibelius composed one of his earliest works, the short pizzicato piece "Vattendroppar" (Water Drops) for violin and cello. That same year, he started receiving violin lessons from the local bandmaster Gustaf Levander.
Sibelius graduated from a secondary school in 1885, after repeating a year due to poor grades. He was thought to be an absent-minded pupil, whose only notable skills were in the subjects of mathematics and botany. Following his graduation, Sibelius briefly studied law at the Imperial Alexander University in Finland. He was more interested in a music education, so he soon transferred to the Helsinki Music Institute (which was later renamed to the Sibelius Academy in his honor).
In the Institute, Sibelius received his first formal lessons in composition. He befriended his young teacher Ferruccio Busoni (1866-1924) and several of his classmates. He also befriended Aino Jarnefelt (1871-1969), the sister of a classmate. He soon started courting Aino, and they eventually married each other in 1892.
Sibelius graduated from the Institute in 1889, and then continued his musical studies in Berlin and Vienna. While living in Vienna, Sibelius started working on the symphonic poem "Kullervo " (1892). It was an adaptation of a section of the "Kalevala", about a suicidal tragic hero, and his failed efforts at seeking redemption for a crime. The completed poem was the breakthrough hit in Sibelius' career. Sibelius was praised by critics for the "confidence and inventiveness of his writing", and for successfully evoking "the melody and rhythm of Finnic rune singing".
From 1892 onward, Sibelius was primarily interested in composing orchestral music. His next popular work was the choral composition "Vainamoinen's Boat Ride" (April 1893). Between 1893 and 1895, Sibelius' works were frequently presented in Helsinki's concert halls. During this period, he supplemented his income by working as a music teacher at various music schools. In 1898, Sibelius was awarded a substantial annual grant. The grant was initially supposed to financially support him for a decade, but was later extended to a permanent annual grant.
In 1899, Sibelius completed his First Symphony. At about the same timer, he completed the Finnish patriotic song "Song of the Athenians". It became a symbol of Finnish nationalism. Sibelius' tone poem "Finlandia" (1900) was inspired by the national struggle of the Finnish people, and was in part used to protest against Russian repression. It became one of his most popular works.
In 1900, Sibelius went on an international tour, which introduced his works to audiences in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, and Paris. He received critical praise, and gained international fame. He completed his Second Symphony in 1902, which was met with enthusiasm by the Finnish public. By that time, Sibelius' works were also regularly performed in Germany. In 1903, Sibelius composed incidental music for the play "Kuolema" (Death), written by his brother-in-law Arvid Jarnefelt. The music turned out to be more popular than the play, particularly the play's opening number, "Valse triste" (Sad Waltz).
In November 1903, Sibelius started the construction of his new home: Ainola (Aino's Place). It was named in honor of his wife Aino, and located near Lake Tuusula. Sibelius financed the house's construction with the profits from his series of concerts in Finland, Estonia, and Latvia. The house was completed by September 1904, when Sibelius and his family moved in. He soon befriended a number of painters and writers who lived in the area.
During the 1900s, Sibelius had a reputation of overspending on luxury foods and alcoholic drinks. In 1907, he resolved to give up drinking. His wife was ill at the time and recovering in a sanatorium, so he had to devote more time to his family and its needs. Later that year, Sibelius himself underwent an operation for suspected throat cancer. He was still in poor health for much of 1908, and he had a second operation on his throat. He was convinced that he had to quit both smoking and drinking to survive. Due to his poor health during 1908, Sibelius had to cancel his scheduled concerts in Rome, Warsaw, and Berlin.
In 1909, Sibelius had mostly recovered from his health problems, and he resumed traveling abroad. He was met with enthusiastic audiences in the United Kingdom, where his previous tours had received lukewarm responses. In 1910, he introduced his newest works to audiences in the city of Kristiania, Norway (later renamed to Oslo). In early 1911, Sibelius went on a concert tour in Sweden. Later that year, he completed his Fourth Symphony. It received mixed reviews in Finland, it was met with enthusiasm by British music lovers, and was openly ridiculed by American audiences in New York City. In 1914, Sibelius' sea music composition "The Oceanides" was met with far more enthusiasm at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, in Norfolk, Connecticut.
World War I (1914-1918) had an adverse effect on Sibelius' finances, as his royalties from abroad were interrupted. He continued working anyway. In December 1915, Sibelius completed his Fifth Symphony. He conducted its premiere on 8 December, the date of his 50th birthday. He worked for most of 1916 on a revised version of the Symphony, in part due to his own perfectionist tendencies. He was perceiving flaws even on his praised works.
During the Finnish Civil War (1918), Sibelius supported the anti-communist "Whites" but took no part in the armed conflict. His house was twice searched for weapons by the communist Red Guard, but they failed to find any weapon. Red Guard fighters escorted Sibelius and his family to Helsinki, as their commander-in-chief had guaranteed Sibelius' safety in a diplomatic agreement.
In 1919, Sibelius presented his Second Symphony at a concern in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was his first concert outside the borders of Finland since 1915. By the end of the year, he had completed his final revision of the Fifth Symphony and had started work on his Sixth Symphony. In 1920, he started struggling with a hand tremor, but still managed to complete more works, In that year, Sibelius received a donation of 63,000 marks from Finnish businesses. This allowed him to pay part of his debts from previous years,.
In the early 1920s, Sibelius entered negotiations with the American businessman and philanthropist George Eastman (1854 -1932). Eastman wanted Sibelius to accept a teaching position at the Eastman School of Music which he had founded, and was willing to pay handsomely. Sibelius eventually turned down the offer, because he was reluctant to move to New York.
In 1921, Sibelius had a series of successful concerts in England and Norway. But he was increasingly feeling fatigued. In 1922, he started using spectacles for the first time. He was having headaches when he tried to read without them. In February 1923, Sibelius completed his Sixth Symphony. His concerts of that year were met with enthusiasm in Sweden, but they were poorly received in Italy. By that time, Sibelius had started overindulging in alcoholic drinks. He seemed intoxicated during a public appearance in Gothenburg.
In early 1924, Sibelius completed his Seventh Symphony. It was received more positively in Denmark, rather than in Finland. In Denmark that year, Sibelius was honored with the Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog. This Danish chivalric order is typically awarded for contribution to the arts and sciences. In 1925, the Royal Danish Theatre asked Sibelius to compose incidental music for the play "The Tempest" (1610/1611) by William Shakespeare. This composition premiered in March 1926. By that time, Sibelius was struggling with "essential tremor" (a muscle disorder) and was self-medicating with alcohol.
In 1926, Sibelius entered his semi-retirement. He rarely completed new works, and mostly avoided any interviews and public appearances. He spend years working on his unfinished Eighth Symphony, before giving up. In the Summer of 1941, Sibelius and his family moved back to Ainola after an absence of several years. He spend much of the rest of his life there, rarely bothering to visit Helsinki. He received visitors there, and his various grandchildren and great-grandchildren spend their holidays at Ainola with him.
In 1955, Sibelius' 90th birthday was celebrated with special performances of his works by both the Philadelphia Orchestra and the (British) Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In September 1957, Sibelius died due to a brain hemorrhage (bleeding within the skull). He was 91-years-old at the time of his death. His death was honored with a moment of silence at the United Nations General Assembly.
Sibelius was honored with a state funeral in Finland. He was buried in the garden of his residence at Ainola. His widow Aino continued living at Ainola until her own death in 1969. She was buried beside him at the garden. In 1972, Sibelius' last surviving daughters sold Ainola to the Finnish state. In 1974, Ainola was turned into a museum. Sibelius has repeatedly been memorialized in Finnish art, stamps, and currency since his death.
