Jean Sibelius Autograph

Profession:
(1865-1957) Finnish composer of the later Romantic period

Year of Birth: 1865

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer and one of the most celebrated composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his symphonic works and tone poems, but he wrote a number of other works as well, including seven operas, numerous songs, and several piano pieces. He was the first Finnish composer to gain international recognition, and his music has had a profound influence on many composers from around the world.

Jean Sibelius was born in Hämeenlinna, Finland on December 8, 1865. His father was a doctor and his mother was an amateur musician. He began playing the violin at a young age and studied music and composition at the Helsinki Music Institute. He also studied with Martin Wegelius and Robert Kajanus. His early works showed the influence of Tchaikovsky and Grieg, but he soon found his own distinctive style.

Sibelius wrote his first symphony in 1899 and it was an instant success. This was followed by several other works, including his tone poem Finlandia in 1900 and The Swan of Tuonela in 1893. He wrote seven symphonies between 1899 and 1924, as well as a number of other works, including two operas. His style developed over the years and became increasingly abstract and complex. He is best known for his use of leitmotifs, which are musical ideas that are repeated throughout a work.

Sibelius was also a respected teacher, and many of his students went on to become prominent composers in their own right. He was appointed professor of composition at the Helsinki Music Institute in 1904 and held this position until his retirement in 1933. During this time he wrote some of his most popular works, including Kullervo and the Fifth Symphony.

Sibelius wrote his last major work, Tapiola, in 1926, after which he did not produce another large-scale work. He continued to compose small works, but he became increasingly reclusive and depressed. He died in 1957, at the age of 91, and is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.

Jean Sibelius’s legacy is one of the most important in the history of classical music. He was one of the first Finnish composers to gain international recognition and his works are still performed and studied today. His symphonies and tone poems, in particular, are some of the most beloved pieces of classical music of all time.