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

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 mother brought up the boy. Gustav had debts, and the funeral was very expensive. The widow could not keep the house. The estate and a large part of the property were given to creditors on account of debts. The widow and three children of the doctor moved to live in the house of the grandmother.

The future composer Jan Sibelius had a very lively imagination from his childhood. He constantly invented stories about fairies. Mother Sibelius played piano and attached children to music. They attended concerts with their whole family. From an early age, the children in the Sibelius family were taught music. Sister Yana learned to play the piano. Brother - on the cello. Sam 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 to get him to work hard, the first teacher beat him on the hands with knitting needles. His first work was written by Sibelius in 10 years. His interest in music grew with time, and he began to study in a brass band. At school, Jan was very distracted. In the margins of his notebooks he constantly recorded music. But, at the same time he received good marks on botany and mathematics. Another hobby of the boy was reading.

In 1885, Jan Sibelius entered the University of the Faculty of Law. But soon dropped out, she was uninteresting to him. He entered the Musical Institute. His teacher was Martin Vehelius. I really enjoyed studying. He was the best pupil of his teacher. The works that Sibelius wrote during his student years were performed by teachers and students of the Institute. In 1889, the young man studied composition and theory of music in Berlin. A year later, in Vienna.

Creative way

After graduation and return to Finland, Ian Sibelius officially made his debut as a composer. The first publicly performed his work was the symphonic poem "Kullervo", based on the Finnish folk epic. Ian immediately became popular, he was declared the musical hope of the country. The composer wrote the first symphony in 1899. Its premiere took place in Helsinki. It was thanks to his symphonies that the composer received international fame.

J. Sibelius actually completed his creative activity in 1926. In the next thirty years of life, the world was waiting for his new works, but he wrote only minor plays that did not have much significance for the cultural heritage. Although there is evidence that he composed, but most of his manuscripts of that period destroyed. Perhaps, among them there were significant works, but for some reason the author did not complete them. In the 40s of the 20th century, interest in composer's music in the world was very low. But in Finland it is still valued as a symbol of the greatness of the country.

List of works

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

The symphonies of Jan Sibelius:

• No. 1, e-moll.
• No. 2, D-dur.
• No. 3, C-dur.
• No. 4, a-moll.
• No. 5, Es-dur.
• No. 6, d-moll.
• No. 7, C-dur

Symphonic Poems:

• "Saga".
• "Finland".
• "Night leap and sunrise."
• "Bard".
• "Oceanides."
• "Tapiola."
• "Forest Nymph".
• "The daughter of Pohjola".
• "Dryad".

Suites by Jan Sibelius:

• "Karelia".
• "Suite for Violin and Piano".
• "Beloved".
• "A small suite."
• "For violin, viola and cello."
• «The Genre Suite».
• "Rural".

Music for plays and dramas:

• "Lizard".
• "Storm".
• "Feast of Belshazzar."
• "King of Christians II".
• "Scaramush".
• "White Swan".
• "Death".
• "Each".
• "Pelleas and Melisande."

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

Masonry

Jan Sibelius for many years was in the Masonic Order and was one of his outstanding figures. He is one of the founders of the lodge in Helsinki. Over time, he became the main organist of the Finnish Masons. In 1927, J. Sibelius wrote nine works that were united by the composer himself in a separate collection. It was called "Masonic Music for Rites." The collection was first published in 1936. The works were intended for distribution among the Freemasons. In 1950 the collection was corrected, supplemented with new compositions and published again. There also entered the famous symphonic poem "Finland", which during the rituals was accompanied by a special text.

The composer's house

Jan Sibelius in 1904 settled in Järvenpää, near the lake Tuusula, along with his family. His last works the composer wrote here. Sibelius loved his house very much. It often gathered creative people, with whom the composer was friendly. Jan 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 descendants of the composer sold the house to the state. Now there is a museum. It was opened for visits in 1974.

The Sibelius Museum

This is the only music museum in Finland. It was created during the composer's lifetime. The museum was opened thanks to the efforts of musicology professor Otto Andersson. He presented the city with his collection of musical instruments. In the 30s of the 20th century the museum became the owner of manuscripts of the composer J. Sibelius, as well as detailed information about the biography and work of the composer. All this was conveyed to Yang's friend - Adolph Paum. Initially, the museum was called "Musical Historical Meetings Abo Academy." In 1949, it was renamed in honor of the composer, who personally gave his consent. In the museum you can get acquainted with the work of J. Sibelius, see a collection of 350 musical instruments, as well as visit concerts and exhibitions.