Jean Sibelius

Jean Sibelius (December 8, 1865 September 20, 1957) was a Finnish composer of classical music. Together with the work of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, Sibelius' music is a key part of Finnish national identity.



Sibelius was born into a Swedish-speaking family in Hämeenlinna in the Russian Grand Duchy of Finland. He was given the names Johan Julius Christian Sibelius, but from an early age he adopted the French form of the name, Jean. His family consciously decided to send Jean to an important Finnish language school. He attended The Hämeenlinna Normal-lycée from 1876 to 1885. This should be seen as part of the larger rise of the Fennoman movement, an expression of Romantic Nationalism which was to become a crucial part of Sibelius' artistic output and politics.



His most famous compositions are Finlandia, Valse Triste, the violin concerto, the Karelia Suite and The Swan of Tuonela (a movement from his Lemminkäinen Suite). However he wrote much more, including other pieces inspired by the Kalevala, seven numbered symphonies, over 100 songs for voice and piano, incidental music for 13 separate plays, an opera (Jungfrun i tornet, which remains unpublished), chamber music including a string quartet, piano music, 21 separate publications of choral music, and Masonic ritual music.



The Finnish graphic designer Erik Bruun used Jean Sibelius as the motif for the 100 markka note in Finland's final markka series.



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