Sibelius Studies

This book presents a portrait of Jean Sibelius as composer and man, a figure of national and international significance, patriot, husband and father. Three introductory articles explore Sibelius’s reception in Finland, performance practice and recording history, and Sibelius’s aesthetic position with regard to modernity. The second group of essays examines issues of ideology, sexuality and mythology, and their relationship to musical structure and compositional genesis. Studies of the Second, Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies are presented in the concluding section. Collectively, these articles address historical, theoretical and analytical issues in Sibelius’s most important works. The analyses are supported by investigations of Sibelius’s compositional process as documented by the manuscripts and sketches primarily in the Sibelius Collection of the Helsinki University Library. Exploring Sibelius’s innovative approach to tonality, form and texture, the book delineates his unique brand of modernism, which has proven highly influential in the late twentieth century.

This book, first published in 2001, presents a portrait of Jean Sibelius as composer and man, a figure of national and international significance, patriot, husband and father. Three introductory articles explore Sibelius's reception in Finland, performance practice and recording history, and Sibelius's aesthetic position with regard to modernity. The second group of essays examines issues of ideology, sexuality and mythology, and their relationship to musical structure and compositional genesis. Studies of the Second, Fourth, Sixth, and Seventh Symphonies are presented in the concluding section. Collectively, these articles address historical, theoretical and analytical issues in Sibelius's most important works. The analyses are supported by investigations of Sibelius's compositional process as documented by the manuscripts and sketches primarily in the Sibelius Collection of the Helsinki University Library. Exploring Sibelius's innovative approach to tonality, form and texture, the book delineates his unique brand of modernism, which has proven highly influential in the late twentieth century.

List of plates; Preface; Part I. Reception History and Aesthetics: 1. An essay in post-colonial analysis: Sibelius as an icon of the Finns and others Eero Tarasti; 2. From Kajanus to Karajan: Sibelius on record Robert Layton; 3. 'Sibelius the Progressive' Tim Howell; Part II. Ideology and Structure: 4. Kullervo's problem - Kullervo's story Peter Franklin; 5. Sibelius and the theater: a study of the incidental music for Symbolist plays Eija Kurki; 6. Sibelius's symphonic ballad Skogsrået: biographical and programmatic aspects of his early orchestral music Veijo Murtomäki; 7. Pohjola's Daughter - 'L'aventure d'un héros' Timo Virtanen; 8. Observations on crystallization and entropy in the music of Sibelius and other composers Timothy L. Jackson; Part III. Analytical Studies of the Symphonies: 9. Meter in the opening of the Second Symphony Tapio Kallio; 10. The musical language of the Fourth Symphony Elliott Antokoletz; 11. Rotations, sketches and the Sixth Symphony James Hepokoski; 12. Continuity and design in the Seventh Symphony Edward Laufer; Index.

Sibelius Studies, first published in 2001, contextualizes Sibelius's symphonies and tone poems in the larger development of European music, especially its transition from late romanticism to modernism. The relationship between Sibelius the man and his music, his personal life and creative work is explored, with revelations emerging from sketches, diaries and letters.