Jean Sibelius was born on December 8th, 1865 in
Hämeenlinna, part of the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. Born Johan Julius
Christian Sibelius, he began using the French form of his name, "Jean," after
being inspired by his uncle's business card. Around the age of fifteen,
Sibelius began to wholeheartedly give himself to the dream of becoming a
virtuoso violinist. Though he acquired an accomplished skill on the instrument,
even performing the final two movements of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in
Helsinki, he eventually came to the conclusion he had begun his studies too
late and gave up on his aspirations of being a virtuoso. Following his
graduation from high school in 1885, Sibelius began studying law at the
Imperial Alexander University of Finland. However, like several composers
before him, Sibelius's interest in music soon led him to abandon his studies.
Before the close of the year, he enrolled in the Helsinki music school.
In June 1892, Sibelius married
Aino Järnefelt and eleven years later, in 1903, they moved into their home,
named Ainola, on the shores of Lake Tuusula. Away from the hectic atmosphere of
the Finnish capital, Ainola was the perfect location for Sibelius. He had an
intense love of nature and his work was often inspired by the landscapes
surrounding his home.
Though he was a prolific
composer, Sibelius's output dramatically slackened after 1926. The completion
of his Seventh Symphony in 1924 marked the end of his long successful career as
a symphonist. There is evidence to suggest that in he attempted an eighth
symphony and a London performance of it was even advertised in 1933. However,
nothing came of the purported work and Sibelius destroyed all traces of it,
feeling that it did not live up to his standards. In all probability, the
manuscript of the eighth symphony was one of many that Sibelius burned in the
1940s. Only two other large scale works followed the Seventh Symphony:
incidental music for Shakespeare's The
Tempest and the tone poem Tapiola
both composed in 1926. For the remaining thirty years of his life, he composed
nothing accept some Masonic ritual music, though he did maintain an active
interest in musical developments and activities.
On September 20th,
1957, at the age of ninety-one, Sibelius died at his home from a brain
hemorrhage and was buried in the garden. In 1972, a few years after the death
Aino, Sibelius's surviving daughters sold Ainola to the State of Finland and it
was opened as a museum in 1974.
Though widely regarded as one of
the leading symphonists of the 20th century, critical opinion of
Jean Sibelius's music has remained mixed and his popularity has waxed and
waned. Overall, he stood in stark contrast to the rapidly-changing European
musical scene. His philosophy towards the symphony was directly in opposition to Gustav Mahler, Germany's leading symphonist at the time,
and his overall tonal idiom eschewed the changes brought about by the Second
Viennese School. This brought Sibelius both the praise and ire of fellow
musicians. In English-speaking countries, particularly Great Britain and the
United States, Sibelius's music was immensely popular in large part to the
efforts of conductors like Eugene Ormandy and Sir Thomas Beecham. Ralph Vaughn
Williams and William Walton were particularly influenced by Sibelius's music.
Conversely, he was, as is to be expected, greatly criticized as outdated and
even incompetent by some of the Modernist. Nevertheless, Sibelius has retained
his reputation as one of the last influential composers of the fading Romantic
era.
Jean Sibelius
Biography
Jean Sibelius was born on December 8th, 1865 in Hämeenlinna, part of the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. Born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, he began using the French form of his name, "Jean," after being inspired by his uncle's business card. Around the age of fifteen, Sibelius began to wholeheartedly give himself to the dream of becoming a virtuoso violinist. Though he acquired an accomplished skill on the instrument, even performing the final two movements of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in Helsinki, he eventually came to the conclusion he had begun his studies too late and gave up on his aspirations of being a virtuoso. Following his graduation from high school in 1885, Sibelius began studying law at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland. However, like several composers before him, Sibelius's interest in music soon led him to abandon his studies. Before the close of the year, he enrolled in the Helsinki music school.In June 1892, Sibelius married Aino Järnefelt and eleven years later, in 1903, they moved into their home, named Ainola, on the shores of Lake Tuusula. Away from the hectic atmosphere of the Finnish capital, Ainola was the perfect location for Sibelius. He had an intense love of nature and his work was often inspired by the landscapes surrounding his home.
Though he was a prolific composer, Sibelius's output dramatically slackened after 1926. The completion of his Seventh Symphony in 1924 marked the end of his long successful career as a symphonist. There is evidence to suggest that in he attempted an eighth symphony and a London performance of it was even advertised in 1933. However, nothing came of the purported work and Sibelius destroyed all traces of it, feeling that it did not live up to his standards. In all probability, the manuscript of the eighth symphony was one of many that Sibelius burned in the 1940s. Only two other large scale works followed the Seventh Symphony: incidental music for Shakespeare's The Tempest and the tone poem Tapiola both composed in 1926. For the remaining thirty years of his life, he composed nothing accept some Masonic ritual music, though he did maintain an active interest in musical developments and activities.
On September 20th, 1957, at the age of ninety-one, Sibelius died at his home from a brain hemorrhage and was buried in the garden. In 1972, a few years after the death Aino, Sibelius's surviving daughters sold Ainola to the State of Finland and it was opened as a museum in 1974.
Though widely regarded as one of the leading symphonists of the 20th century, critical opinion of Jean Sibelius's music has remained mixed and his popularity has waxed and waned. Overall, he stood in stark contrast to the rapidly-changing European musical scene. His philosophy towards the symphony was directly in opposition to Gustav Mahler, Germany's leading symphonist at the time, and his overall tonal idiom eschewed the changes brought about by the Second Viennese School. This brought Sibelius both the praise and ire of fellow musicians. In English-speaking countries, particularly Great Britain and the United States, Sibelius's music was immensely popular in large part to the efforts of conductors like Eugene Ormandy and Sir Thomas Beecham. Ralph Vaughn Williams and William Walton were particularly influenced by Sibelius's music. Conversely, he was, as is to be expected, greatly criticized as outdated and even incompetent by some of the Modernist. Nevertheless, Sibelius has retained his reputation as one of the last influential composers of the fading Romantic era.