Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata
- Helsinki Philharmonic Society
- Ida Flodin (soprano)
- Abraham Ojanperä (baritone)
- amateur mixed choir
The Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata (in Finnish: Lauluja sekaköörille 1897 vuoden promotiooni kantaatista; sometimes abbreviated as the Nine Songs), Op. 23, is a song cycle of a cappella pieces[c] for soprano, baritone, and mixed choir a cappella arranged in 1898 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Sung in Finnish to words by the poet A. V. Koskimies, the songs were originally part of a larger orchestral work: the Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1897 (Kantaatti tohtorinja maisterinvihkijäisissä 1897), JS 106. It is chronologically the third of Sibelius's nine orchestral cantatas, and belongs to a series of three such pieces—along with the Promotional Cantata of 1894 (JS 105) and the Coronation Cantata (JS 104, 1896)—that he wrote on commission from his employer at the time, the Imperial Alexander University (today the University of Helsinki). The complete score, however, is lost, although—in addition to the Op. 23 songs—some orchestral parts, as well as a rehearsal score with piano accompaniment, are extant.
Structure
The ten constituent songs in the cycle are as follows:
- March-like (Marssin tapaan); "We the youth of Finland ..." ("Me nuoriso Suomen ...")
- Not too leisurely (Ei lüan verkalleen); "The wind rocks ..." ("Tuuli tuudittele ...")
- Lightly (Keveästi); "Oh hope, hope, you dreamer ..." ("Oi toivo, toivo, sä lietomieli ...")
- Quickly (Nopeean); "Many on the sea of life ..." ("Montapa elon merellä ...")
- Leisurely (Verkalleen); "The fading thoughts of the Earth ..." ("Sammuva sainio maan ...")
- (a) Like a folk-song, briskly (Kansanlaulun tapaan, reippaasti); "We praise Thee, our Creator ..." ("Soi kiitokseksi Luojan ...")
- (b) Simply (Yksinkertaisesti); "Blow, wind, more gently ..." ("Tuule, tuuli, leppeämmin ...")
- Briskly (Reippaasti); "O love, your realm is limitless ..." ("Oi Lempi, sun valtas ääretön on ...")
- March-like (Marssin tapaan); "As the swift current ..." ("Kun virta vuolas ...")
- Festively (Juhlallisesti); "O precious Finland, Mother beyond compare ..." ("Oi kallis Suomi, äiti verraton ...")
Several of the song cycle's numbers, especially Nos. 1, 6a, and 6b, remain popular in Finland.[5] Moreover, in 1913, Sibelius arranged No. 6a for female choir.[6]
Discography
The Finnish choral director Heikki Halme [fi] and the Eteläsuomalaisen Osakunnan Laulajatm (EOL)[d] made the world premiere studio recording of the Op. 23 songs in 1975 for RCA Victor.[1] The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:
No. | Choral director | Ensemble | Soprano | Baritone | Runtime[e] | Rec.[f] | Recording venue | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Heikki Halme [fi] | Eteläsuomalaisen Osakunnan Laulajat[d] | Terhikki Kilpiö | Kari Tamminen | 19:23 | 1975 | Helsinki German Church [fi] | RCA Victor | [g] |
2 | Astrid Riska (1) | Jubilate Choir [fi] (1) | Monica Groop (1) | Juha Kotilainen [fi] | 19:14 | 1992 | Järvenpää Hall [fi] | Ondine | [h] |
3 | Hannu Norjanen | Tapiola Chamber Choir [fi] | Pia Freund [fi] | Antti Suhonen [fi] | 20:09 | 1997 | Roihuvuori Church [fi] | Finlandia | [i] |
4 | Astrid Riska (2) | Jubilate Choir [fi] (2) | Monica Groop (2) | Sauli Tülikainen [fi] | 19:18 | 1998 | Tapiola Hall | BIS | [j] |
5 | Heikki Seppanen | Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir | Jenny Carlstedt [fi] | Arttu Kataja [fi] | 18:36 | 2014 | Järvenpää Hall [fi] | Ondine | [k] |
Notes, references, and sources
- Notes
- ^ On 20 July 1905, the Helsinki-based music publisher Fazer & Westerlund [fi] (Helsingfors Nya Musikhandel) sold its Sibelius holdings (the publishing rights and printing plates) to the German firm of Breitkopf & Härtel.[2]
- ^ The duration of the original cantata is unknown, because the original score is lost.
- ^ This excludes No. 8, for which bass drum, triangle, and cymbals provide accompaniment.
- ^ a b The literal English translation of Eteläsuomalaisen Osakunnan Laulajat is the "Singers Association of Southern Finland".
- ^ All runtimes are official, as printed on CD or LP liner notes.
- ^ Refers to the year in which the performers recorded the work; this may not be the same as the year in which the recording was first released to the general public.
- ^ EOL–RCA Victor (YFPL 1–853) 1976
- ^ Jubilate Choir–Ondine (ODE 805–2) 1993
- ^ Tapiola Chamber Choir–Finlandia (0630–19054–2) 1998
- ^ Jubilate Choir–BIS (CD–998) 1999
- ^ Estonian Phil. Chamber Choir–Ondine (ODE 1260–2D) 2015
- References
- ^ a b Dahlström 2003, p. 96.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. xxiv.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 92–96.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 92.
- ^ Ylivuori 2015, p. 11.
- ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 98.
- Sources
- Barnett, Andrew (2007). Sibelius. New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-16397-1.
- Dahlström, Fabian [in Swedish] (2003). Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke [Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works] (in German). Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0333-0.
- Hovinen, Juha (1998). Sibelius: Complete Choral Songs for Mixed, Female, and Children's Voices (CD booklet). Translated by Mäntyjärvi, Jaakko. Hannu Norjanen & Tapiola Chamber Choir. Finlandia. p. 12–21. 0630–19054–2. OCLC 42657350
- Tawaststjerna, Erik (2008) [1965/1967; trans. 1976]. Sibelius: Volume I, 1865–1905. Translated by Layton, Robert. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-24772-1.
- Ylivuori, Sakari (2015). Sibelius: Complete Works for Mixed Choir (CD booklet). Translated by Mäntyjärvi, Jaakko. Heikki Seppänen & Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir. Ondine. p. 6–7. ODE 1260–2D. OCLC 907135077
External links
- Nine Songs, Op. 23: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- v
- t
- e
- Kullervo (1892)
- Symphony No. 1 (1899, rev. 1900)
- Symphony No. 2 (1902)
- Symphony No. 3 (1907)
- Symphony No. 4 (1911)
- Symphony No. 5 (1915, rev. 1916, 1919)
- Symphony No. 6 (1923)
- Symphony No. 7 (1924)
- Symphony No. 8 (mid 1920s–c. 1938, abandoned)
- Violin Concerto (1904, rev. 1905)
- Two Serenades (1912–1913)
- Two Serious Melodies (1914–1915)
- Six Humoresques (1917–1918, No. 1 rev. 1940)
- Suite for Violin and String Orchestra (1929)
- En saga (1892, rev. 1902)
- Spring Song (1894, rev. 1895)
- The Wood Nymph (1895)
- Lemminkäinen Suite
- 1895, rev. 1897, 1900, 1939; includes The Swan of Tuonela
- Finlandia (1899)
- Pohjola's Daughter (1906)
- Nightride and Sunrise (1909)
- The Dryad (1910)
- The Bard (1913)
- Luonnotar (1913)
- The Oceanides (1914, rev. 1914)
- Tapiola (1926)
- The Building of the Boat (1893–1894, abandoned)
- The Maiden in the Tower (1896)
- King Christian II (1898)
- Kuolema
- 1903; includes Valse triste
- Pelléas et Mélisande (1905)
- Belshazzar's Feast (1906)
- Swanwhite (1908)
- The Lizard (1909)
- The Language of the Birds (1911)
- Scaramouche (1913)
- Everyman (1916)
- The Tempest (1925)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894
- Cantata for the Coronation of Nicholas II (1896)
- Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1897
- The Origin of Fire (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Captive Queen (1906)
- My Own Land (1918)
- Song of the Earth (1919)
- Hymn of the Earth (1920)
- Väinämöinen's Song (1926)
- The Rapids-Rider's Brides (1897)
- The Breaking of the Ice on the Oulu River (1899)
- Snöfrid (1900)
- Marjatta (1905, abandoned)
- Impromptu (1902, rev. 1910)
- The Raven (1910, abandoned)
- Overture in E major (1891)
- Ballet Scene (1891)
- Karelia Suite (1893)
- Rakastava (1894, arr. 1912)
- Scènes historiques I (1899, arr. 1911)
- Overture in A minor (1902)
- Romance in C major (1904)
- Cassazione (1904, rev. 1905)
- Pan and Echo (1906)
- In memoriam (1909, rev. 1910)
- Scènes historiques II (1912)
- Suite mignonne (1921)
- Suite champêtre (1922)
- Suite caractéristique (1922)
- String Quartet in E-flat major (1885)
- String Quartet in A minor (1889)
- String Quartet in B-flat major (1890)
- String Quartet in D minor, Voces intimae (1909)
- Andante festivo (1922, orch. 1938)
- Piano Trio in A minor, Hafträsk (1886)
- Piano Trio in D major, Korpo (1887)
- Piano Trio in C major, Lovisa (1888)
- Water Droplets (c. 1875–1881)
- Pieces for brass septet (1889–1899)
- Piano Quintet (1890)
- Malinconia (1900)
- Violin Sonatina (1915)
- Six Impromptus (1893)
- Piano Sonata (1893)
- Ten Pieces, Op. 24 (1895–1903)
- Kyllikki (1904)
- Three Sonatinas (1912)
- The Bells of Kallio Church (1912, arr. 1912)
- Two Rondinos (1912)
- Five Pieces, The Trees, Op. 75 (1914)
- Five Pieces, The Flowers, Op. 85 (1916–1917)
- Five Esquisses (1929)
- Seven Runeberg Songs, Op. 13 (1891–1892)
- "Serenad", JS 168 (1894–1895)
- Six Songs, Op. 36 (1899–1900)
- Five Songs, Op. 37 (1900–1902)
- Seven Songs, Op. 17 (1891–1904)
- Five Songs, Op. 38 (1903–1904; includes "Höstkväll")
- Six Songs, Op. 50 (1906)
- Two Songs, Op. 35 (1908)
- "Kom nu hit, död", Op. 60/1 (1909, orch. 1957)
- "Arioso", Op. 3 (1911)
- Five Christmas Songs, Op. 1 (1897–1913; includes "Giv mig ej glans, ej guld, ej prakt")
- Six Runeberg Songs, Op. 90 (1917)
- Hymn, Op. 21 (1896, rev. 1898)
- Songs for Mixed Chorus from the 1897 Promotional Cantata (arr. 1898)
- Finlandia Hymn (1899, arr. 1938–1940)
- Six Partsongs, Op. 18 (1893–1901)
- Jäger March (1917)
- Ainola (home)
- Aino Sibelius (wife)
- Ruth Snellman [fi] (daughter)
- Heidi Blomstedt (daughter)
- Christian Sibelius (brother)
- Aulis Blomstedt (son-in-law)
- Jussi Jalas (son-in-law)
- Jussi Snellman [fi] (son-in-law)
- Alexander Järnefelt (father-in-law)
- Elisabeth Järnefelt (mother-in-law)
- Armas Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Arvid Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Eero Järnefelt (brother-in-law)
- Kasper Järnefelt [fi] (brother-in-law)
- Helsinki Music Institute: Martin Wegelius (theory, composition)
- Mitrofan Vasiliev (violin)
- Hermann Csillag [de] (violin)
- Post-graduate studies: Albert Becker
- Robert Fuchs
- Karl Goldmark
- Toivo Kuula
- Leevi Madetoja
- Bengt de Törne [fi]
- Juhani Aho
- Aino Ackté
- Granville Bantock
- Ferruccio Busoni
- Axel Carpelan [fi] (patron)
- Olin Downes
- Ida Ekman
- Richard Faltin [fi]
- Ida Flodin [fi]
- Karl Flodin [fi]
- Akseli Gallen-Kallela
- Heikki Klemetti [fi]
- Santeri Levas (secretary)
- Erkki Melartin
- Oskar Merikanto
- Rosa Newmarch
- Abraham Ojanperä
- Selim Palmgren
- Adolf Paul
- Wilhelm Stenhammar
- Karl Wasenius [fi]
- Fabian Dahlström [fi]
- Karl Ekman [fi]
- Erik Furuhjelm [fi]
- Glenda Dawn Goss
- Cecil Gray
- Robert Layton
- Nils-Eric Ringbom [fi]
- Erik W. Tawaststjerna
- International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition
- Jean Sibelius Quartet
- Sibelius (2003 film)
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