Jan Sibelius is a Finnish composer whose works are among the most precious treasures of classical music. Many of his works are revered by musicians, critics and music lovers around the world. His music belongs to the style of early romanticism and the classical Viennese school.
Biography
Jan Sibelius, whose biography is presented in this article, was born in 1865, in Finland. The father of the future composer was a military doctor. When Jan was 3 years old, the head of the family died of typhoid fever. The mother raised the boy. Gustav remained in debt, and the funeral was very expensive. The widow could not support the house. The estate and most of the property were given to creditors on account of debts. The widow and three children of the doctor moved to live in their grandmother's house.
The future composer Jan Sibelius from childhood had a very vivid imagination. He constantly made up fairy stories. Mother J. Sibelius played the piano and introduced children to music. They attended concerts with the whole family. From an early age, children in the Sibelius family were taught music. Sister Yana learned to play the piano. Brother - on the cello. Yang himself first learned to play the piano, but then expressed a desire to change the instrument and switched to the violin. The boy was restless, and in order to get him to work hard, the first teacher beat him in the hands with knitting needles. J. Sibelius wrote his first work at 10 years old. His interest in music increased over time, and he began to study in a brass band. At school, Ian was very distracted. On the margins of his notebooks, he constantly recorded music. But, at the same time, he got good marks in botany and mathematics. Another hobby of the boy was reading.
In 1885, Jan Sibelius entered the university at the Faculty of Law. But he soon dropped out of school, she was not interested in him. He entered the Music Institute. His teacher was Martin Vegelius. Ian really enjoyed learning. He was the best student of his teacher. The works that J. Sibelius wrote in his student years were performed by teachers and students of the institute. In 1889, the young man studied composition and music theory in Berlin. A year later, in Vienna.
Creative way
After graduating and returning to Finland, Jan Sibelius officially debuted as a composer. His first publicly performed work was the symphonic poem Kullervo, which was based on the Finnish folk epic. Ian immediately became popular, he was declared the country's musical hope. The composer wrote the very first symphony in 1899. Its premiere took place in Helsinki. Thanks to his symphonies, the composer gained international fame.
J. Sibelius actually completed his creative activity in 1926. In the next thirty years of his life, the world was waiting for his new compositions, but he wrote only minor plays, which do not have special significance for the cultural heritage. Although there is evidence that he composed, but most of his manuscripts of that period destroyed. Maybe there were significant works among them, but for some reason the author did not complete them. In the 40s of the 20th century, interest in the music of the composer in the world was very low. But in Finland it is still appreciated as a symbol of the greatness of the country.
List of works
For those who are just starting to get acquainted with the work of this Finnish composer, the question arises: "How many symphonies did Jan Sibelius write?" In total, he composed a lot of works. And there were seven symphonies.
Symphonies of Jan Sibelius:
- No. 1, e-moll.
- No. 2, D-dur.
- No. 3, C-dur.
- No. 4, a-moll.
- No. 5, Es-dur.
- No. 6, d-moll.
- No. 7, C-dur
Symphonic poems:
- "Saga".
- "Finland".
- "Night Leap and Sunrise."
- "Bard".
- "Oceanids."
- "Tapiola."
- "Forest Nymph".
- "Pohola's daughter."
- "Dryad".
Suites by Jan Sibelius:
- "Karelia".
- “Suite for violin and piano”.
- "Beloved".
- "Little Suite."
- "For violin, viola and cello."
- "Genre Suite."
- "Rural".
Music for plays and dramas:
- "Lizard".
- "Storm".
- "Feast of Belshazzar."
- "King of Christians II."
- "Scaramush."
- "White Swan".
- "Death".
- "Everyone".
- "Pelleas and Melisande."
He also wrote overtures, plays, melodrama, concerts, marches, scenes, instrumental serenades, romances for the orchestra, legends, humoresques, dances, quartets, impromptu, sonatas, works for choirs, cantatas, ballads, hymns, songs for voice with accompaniment , arioso, variations, opera and so on.
Freemasonry
For many years, Jan Sibelius was a member of the Masonic Order and was one of his prominent figures. He is one of the founders of the box in Helsinki. Over time, he became the main organist of the Finnish Masons. In 1927, J. Sibelius wrote nine works that were combined by the composer himself into a separate collection. It was called "Masonic music for rites." The collection was first published in 1936. The works were intended for distribution among Masons. In 1950, the collection was corrected, supplemented with new compositions and published again. The famous symphonic poem “Finland” also entered, which was accompanied by a special text during the rites.
Composer's house
In 1904, Jan Sibelius settled in Järvenpää, next to Lake Tuusula, with his family. The composer wrote his latest works here. J. Sibelius loved his house very much. Creative people with whom the composer was friends often gathered here. Jan Sibelius died on September 20, 1957 in his beloved house. His wife continued to live there after his death until the early 1970s. In 1972, the composer's descendants sold the house to the state. Now there is a museum. It was open for visits in 1974.
Museum of J. Sibelius
This is the only music museum in Finland. It was created during the life of the composer. The museum was opened thanks to the efforts of professor of musicology Otto Andersson. He presented the city with his collection of musical instruments. In the 30s of the 20th century, the museum became the owner of the manuscripts of the composer J. Sibelius, as well as detailed data on the composer's biography and work. All this was conveyed by Jan's friend Adolf Paum. Initially, the museum was called the Musical-Historical Collection of the Abo Academy. In 1949, it was renamed in honor of the composer, who personally gave consent to this. In the museum you can get acquainted with the work of J. Sibelius, see a collection of 350 musical instruments, as well as visit concerts and exhibitions.