Previous posts for December 8th are here: Bohuslav Martinů; Jean Sibelius (2019), Gérard Souzay (2020), James Galway (2021), Jean Sibelius (2022), and Jean Sibelius; Sammy Davis Jr. (2023)
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Jean Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957) is widely regarded as the greatest Finnish composer.
From the North… Forth!
No matter how often we hear it
Finlandia awakes the spirit,
And even for those who aren’t Finnish
The thrill of it doesn’t diminish.
From whence is its power to touch?
The tune in itself isn’t much,
And yet it’s a musical potion
That summons forth lofty emotion.
And why are our hearts set ablaze
By the notes of a musical phrase?
It’s a question that’s square in the middle
Of an age-old aesthetical riddle.
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Name Games
In order to avoid Russian censorship, Finlandia had to be performed under alternative names at various musical concerts. Titles under which the piece masqueraded were numerous and often confusing—famous examples include Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring, and A Scandinavian Choral March. – Wikipedia, s.v. “Finlandia”
In early announcements Sibelius’s
Finlandia had multiple aliases
In a ruse to outwit the priorities
Of censorious Russian authorities.
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