Edited from
Wikipedia
Finlandia, Op.
26, is a tone poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
It was written in
1899 and revised in 1900.
The piece was
composed for the Press Celebrations of 1899, a covert protest against
increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces
performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish
history.
A typical
performance takes between 7½ and 9 minutes depending on how it is performed.
Most of the
piece is taken up with rousing and turbulent music, evoking the national
struggle of the Finnish people. Towards the end, a calm comes over the
orchestra, and the serene and melodic Finlandia Hymn is heard. Often
incorrectly cited as a traditional folk melody, the Hymn section is of
Sibelius' own creation.
Sibelius later
reworked the Finlandia Hymn into a stand-alone piece. This hymn, with words
written in 1941 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, is one of the most important
national songs of Finland. Today, during modern performances of the full-length
Finlandia, a choir is sometimes involved, singing the Finnish lyrics with the
hymn section.