Finland’s Jean Sibelius is one of the most influential composers in the development of the symphony and symphonic poem. Born in southern Finland, the second of three children, Jean showed talent on the violin at an early age. Sibelius entered the University of Helsinki to study law, but after only a year he took up composition and violin studies; in 1889 Sibelius traveled to Berlin to study counterpoint with Albert Becker, where he also was exposed to the music of Richard Strauss. In Vienna he studied with Karl Goldmark and then Robert Fuchs, his most effective teacher. Sibelius began working at the ‘Kullervo‘ symphonic poem, based on the Kalevala legends, and once returned to Finland, taught music: in June 1892, he married Aino Järnefelt, member of one of the most influential families in Finland. The premiere of Kullervo in April 1893 created a veritable sensation, and Sibelius thereafter was looked upon as the foremost Finnish composer. The ‘Lemminkäinen suite’ (1896), is the most important music by Sibelius up to that time. In 1897 the Finnish Senate voted to grant Sibelius a short-term pension, which later became a lifetime conferral. Sibelius’ First Symphony premiered in 1899 and it was a tremendous success, but not comparable to that of ‘Finlandia’. In the next decade Sibelius would become an international figure in the concert world: Kajanus introduced several of the composer’s works abroad and Sibelius himself was invited to Heidelberg and Berlin to conduct his music. Although Sibelius always discouraged attaching programmatic ideas to his music, the Second Symphony (March 1901) was received as a statement of independence for Finland. His only concerto, for violin, came in 1903. The next year Sibelius built villa “Ainola” (after his wife’s name) outside of Helsinki, where he would live for his remaining 53 years. The darkening of mood in his music after 1908 is probably due to a throat tumor, and the following abstinence from alcohol and tobacco. Sibelius spent the war years in Finland working on his Fifth Symphony, then in 1924 he completed his Seventh Symphony: his last work was the incidental music for ‘The Tempest’ (1925). For his last 30 years, Sibelius lived a mostly quiet life, working only on revisions, and being generally regarded as the greatest living composer of symphonies. In 1955 his 90th birthday was widely celebrated throughout the world with many performances of his music; he died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1957.
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