Jan Sibelius: biography, works. How many symphonies did the composer write?

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

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 boy was raised by his mother. Gustav was left with debts, besides, the funeral was very expensive. The widow could not keep the house. The estate and most of the property were given to creditors on account of debts. The doctor's widow and three children moved to their grandmother's house.

Future composer Jean Sibelius had a very vivid imagination since childhood. He constantly made up stories about fairies. The mother of 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 Yanalearned to play the piano. Brother is 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 force him to study diligently, the first teacher beat him on the hands with knitting needles. J. Sibelius wrote his first work at the age of 10. His interest in music increased over time, and he began to study in a brass band. At school, Jan was very absent-minded. In the margins of his notebooks, he constantly wrote down music. But, at the same time, he received good marks in botany and mathematics. Another hobby of the boy was reading.

In 1885, Jean 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. Jan really enjoyed studying. 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 path

After graduating and returning to Finland, Jean Sibelius made his official debut as a composer. His first publicly performed work was the symphonic poem "Kullervo", which was based on the Finnish folk epic. Yang immediately became popular, he was declared the musical hope of the country. The composer wrote the very first symphony in 1899. It premiered in Helsinki. It is thanks to his symphonies that the composergained international fame.

I. 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 insignificant plays that have no special significance for the cultural heritage. Although there is evidence that he composed, he destroyed most of his manuscripts of that period. 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 composer's music in the world was very low. But in Finland it is still valued today as a symbol of the greatness of the country.

List of compositions

For those who are just starting to get acquainted with the work of this Finnish composer, the question arises: "Jan Sibelius, how many symphonies did he write?" In total, he composed a lot of works. And there were seven symphonies.

Jan Sibelius Symphonies:

• 1, e-moll.
• 2, D-dur.
• 3, C-dur.
• 4, a-moll.
• 5, Es-dur.
• 6, d-moll.
• 7, C-dur

Symphonic Poems:

• "Saga".
• "Finland".
• "Night ride and sunrise".
• "Bard".
• Oceanids.
• Tapiola.
• "Forest Nymph".
• "Daughter of Pohjola".
• Dryad.

Jan Sibelius Suites:

• Karelia.
• "Suite for Violin and Piano".
• "Beloved".
• "Little Suite".
• "For violin, viola and cello".
• «Genresuite.”
• "Rural".

Music for plays and dramas:

• "Lizard".
• "Storm".
• "Belshazzar's Feast".
• "King Christian II".
• Scaramouche.
• White Swan.
• "Death".
• "Everyone".
• Pelleas and Mélisande.

He also wrote overtures, plays, melodeclamations, concertos, marches, scenes, instrumental serenades, romances for orchestra, legends, humoresques, dances, quartets, impromptu, sonatas, works for choirs, cantatas, ballads, hymns, songs for voice with accompaniment, arioso, variations, opera and so on.

Masonry

Jan Sibelius was a member of the Masonic order for many years and was one of its prominent figures. He is one of the founders of the lodge in Helsinki. Over time, he became the chief organist of the Finnish Freemasons. In 1927, J. Sibelius wrote nine works, which 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. It also included the famous symphonic poem "Finland", which during the rituals was accompanied by a special text.

Composer's House

Jan Sibelius in 1904 settled in Järvenpää, near Lake Tuusula, together with his family. The composer wrote his last works here. J. Sibelius loved his house very much. Creative people often gathered here,with whom the composer was friendly. Jean Sibelius died on September 20, 1957 in his beloved home. 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 there. It was opened for visiting in 1974.

J. Sibelius Museum

This is the only music museum in Finland. It was created during the lifetime of the composer. The museum was opened thanks to the efforts of musicology professor Otto Andersson. He donated his collection of musical instruments to the city. In the 30s of the 20th century, the museum became the owner of the manuscripts of the composer J. Sibelius, as well as detailed information about the biography and work of the composer. All this was conveyed by Jan's friend, Adolf Paum. Initially, the museum was called "Abo Academy Musical and Historical Collections". In 1949, it was renamed in honor of the composer, who personally agreed 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 attend concerts and exhibitions.