Abstract
Jean Sibelius, widely renowned for his symphonies and symphonic poems, also composed over 100 songs that were overshadowed by his instrumental masterpieces. The style of Sibelius’ orchestral writing is echoed in his songs, thereby developing an unconventional approach to his vocal writing, including bold melodic lines, broad intervals, extremely wide ranges of almost two octaves, and gravely somber moods. The vast majority of his songs are written in Swedish, an interesting contrast to his representation of Finnish Nationalism which is reflected in his tone-poem, Finlandia. The characteristics of his songs will be discussed in Arioso, Luonnotar, Var det en dröm, Flickan kom ifrån, and Säv, säv, susa, followed by performance.
Presentation Type: Lecture Recital
Recording Date: September 20, 2016
Recording Location: The University of Texas at Tyler
Performers: Sooah Park - voice, and Dr. J. Bradley Baker - piano
Bibliography
Borg, Kim. “How to Sing Them: Some Thoughts on the Interpretation of Sibelius’ Songs.” Finnish Music Quarterly, 1990, nos. 3-4: 58-61.
Dahlström, Fabian. The Works of Jean Sibelius. Helsinki: Sibelius-Seura, 1987.
Desmond, Astra. “The Songs.” In The Music of Sibelius, 108-36. Edited by Gerald Abraham. New York: Norton, 1947.
Goss, Glenda Dawn. Jean Sibelius A Guide to Research. Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998.
Goss, Glenda Dawn. Sibelius: A Composer’s Life and The Awakening of Finland. The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
Goss, Glenda Dawn. The Siblius Companion. Greenwood Press, 1996.
Gray, Cecil. Sibelius. London: Oxford University Press, 1931.
James, Burnett. The Music of Jean Sibelius. Rutherford, N.J.: Farleigh Dickinson University Press, 1983
Layton, Robert. Sibelius. J M DENT & SONS LTD London, 1965.
Levas, Santeri. Sibelius: A Personal Portrait. J M DENT & SONS LTD London, 1972.
Sirén, Valerie. “The Songs.” In The Sibelius Companion, 171-200. Edited by Glenda Dawn Goss. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood, 1996.