Jan Sibelius and Finnish Music Day (08/12)

Jan Sibelius and Finnish Music Day (Finnish. Jean Sibeliuksen ja suomalaisen musiikin päivä, Swede. Den finländska musikens dag) – is a national holiday in Finland, celebrated annually on December 8th.

The holiday is dedicated to the birthday of the great composer Jan Sibelius (1865-1957), and it received its official status in 2011. Since then, traditionally, the national flag of Finland has been raised on flagpoles throughout the country on December 8th.

Born into a family where Swedish was spoken, young Jan Sibelius studied at a Finnish-language school, becoming closer to the culture, spirit and history of Finland and its people every year. Subsequently, this culture will play a huge role in the work of the future composer, who by the age of 10 had widely demonstrated his talent.

The work of Jan Sibelius, recognized in his homeland as a national composer and symbol of the greatness of the Finnish nation during his lifetime, was closely intertwined with the Finnish national epic. Ancient tales and legends served him as guidelines that he perfectly reflected in his music, where the voices, spirit and mood of epic heroes are clearly heard. It also perfectly senses the beauty and severity of northern nature, the coolness of forests and lakes, the hum of silent silence hanging in the air, emanating from fabulous and mesmerizing beauty. It is believed that the nature of Finland was a kind of energy source and muse for Sibelius, helping to clearly present paintings from the tales of antiquity that once took place in the composer’s homeland.

In addition to Finland, the composer gained the greatest popularity during his lifetime in England and the USA, where he was recognized by many critics and listeners as his favorite symphonist«.

A significant part of the works of Jan Sibelius is not one of the world famous and widely distributed among performers. The reason for this, according to many critics and musicians, is the – language barrier, due to the fact that the Finnish language, in which many of Sibelius’s choral works are written, as well as the national culture of Finland are little known and not widespread.

In his homeland, grateful descendants, and even contemporaries, immortalized his name during the composer’s lifetime, calling them streets in cities throughout the country, parks and squares. A monument to Jan Sibelius has been erected in the capital of Finland, Helsinki. This place is considered one of the main attractions of the Finnish capital. The monument is located in a park that also bears the composer's name. It consists of «vertically hanging» in the air, metal pipes fastened together, reminiscent of organ pipes at the same time. Nearby is the second composition of the monument, in the center of which is the – bronze head of Jan Sibelius. It is believed that the movement of air in the pipes resembles the motifs of the works of the Finnish composer. By the way, one of these works is the unofficial anthem of Finland.

In addition to the monument in the capital, monuments have been erected in other cities. In Hämienlinna, where Jan Sibelius was born, in addition to the monument, you can visit the house-museum of the great Finnish composer.

The concert hall in Lahti, called Sibelius Hall, is annually filled on December 8 with the sound of musical works by Jan Sibelius, which, however, are performed on this day not only here, but throughout the country. In September of each year, Lahti hosts the annual Jan Sibelius Music Festival to coincide with the date of his death.

The Day of Jan Sibelius and Finnish Music is no less solemnly celebrated at the main educational music institution in Finland, located in Helsinki, which also proudly bears the name of the famous national composer.

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