Sibelius
Jean
Sibelius is noted for the Finnish nationalism in his music, especially in
his tone-poem Finlandia.
He was born in Finland in 1865 to a Swedish-speaking family. He studied in Helsinki,
Berlin and Vienna.
He
composed in the romantic tradition at first, then experimented with different
styles in his later years. He totally dominated Finnish musical life, and was
give a state pension in 1897 to enable him to concentrate on composition. He was
feted internationally during his lifetime.
He wrote 7 symphonies, a violin concerto and several symphonic poems.