Jean Sibelius (1865–1957) was a Finnish composer. Sibelius is considered to be one of the most popular composers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His music and genius have also played an important role in forming of the Finnish national identity.
Sibelius was born on 8th December 1865 into a Swedish-speaking family in Hämeenlinna in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. He was given the name Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, and known as Janne to his family, but during his student years he started using a French form of the name, Jean.
His most popular compositions include Finlandia, Valse Triste, the violin concerto, the Karelia Suite, and The Swan of Tuonela (a movement from his Lemminkäinen Suite), but he is most respected for his symphonies, of which he wrote seven, and various works based on the Finnish epic, the Kalevala. He also wrote over 100 songs for voice and piano, incidental music for thirteen plays, an opera (Jungfrun i tornet, which remains unpublished), chamber music (including a piece for a string quartet), piano music, twenty-one volumers of choral music, and Masonic ritual music. |
