FINLANDIA by Jean Sibelius - Music History Crash Course 

1:47 To clarify, the woman is not just a Finnish maiden, it is meant as Finland specifically. A maiden is often used as the national personification of Finland. It got strengthened from the original shape of Finland's area before the Winter and Continuation war, which had Finland looking like a maiden's silhouette. Sorry for the nitpick, but I got the feeling that the nuance of the national personification was missing from that part. I liked the video a lot. It tells a lot of the context behind that song and why we Finns get misty eyed whenever we hear it (especially with the hymn). There are stories of symphony orchestras having different names to Finlandia so it could be played even under the Russian censorship and rule.

The 3 dislikes are from Nicholas ll and his two servants

This piece of art describes really well what it feels like, and what it has been thru the history to be a Finn. Cant really listen this with a dry eye.

Thank you for this video! Finlandia means so much to us Finnish people even today. I cannot listen to it without feeling an ache in my chest and tears burning my eyes. It reminds us of all the hardship our ancestors suffered under the Russian (and Swedish) oppression, and now especially of the great losses and the sacrifices made when the Soviet Union attacked. But "oh, rise Finland, you showed the world that you banished slavery and did not bend under oppression".

Finland already was an ancient nation of people before their independence. Great video!

Finland. Pain hatred sorrow and agony will not make us fall apart but will make us stronger. Finland is a small nation but if we are small compared to russia that doesnt make us weak. Weak is something that make people feel fear and despair but it makes people feel hope and future for the next generation. Never underestimate finland people. We might be small but we have something that other people dont have and that is courage to face the threat

This channel needs more views!!! Keep making these amazing videos

SISU 🇫🇮❣🙌 Thank you for the superb analysis both historically and taking the music apart section by section.🤗 This song is a mainstay for myself and all my Finnish cousins and we all play it on the piano. We live in the way north of the US but our grandparents immigrated here from Finland. Our parents all spoke fluent Finnish and when they did they were always laughing - made us wonder if they were talking about us. 🤪

Amazingly well organised and informed videos. I'm deeply intrigued by your content. Thanks for the knowledge and interpretations!

Nicely done, informative and enriching. Thank you. With raspberries to Putin ··· 🇱🇻 🇫🇮 🇺🇦 Lai dzīvo Baltija!

Wonderful video, I learned some stuff. I like this tune a lot. Greetings from Finland :p

This video Is a Masterpiece, I'm Italian and my Italian music teacher made us Watch this video. PS She used subtitles and slowed down the video. But I'm watching It whitout them and With normal Speed.

Very informative. Thanks so much!

Woke this morning seeking the hymn in my mind. "On great lone hills where tempests brood and gather..." appeared, with sober recall of this strong yet humble melody. Thanks for this lesson, well done.

Really enjoyed this video. So great to follow along with the score too - it was so clearly explained, and such a lot of really interesting background information to put the piece into context. Many thanks

Just discovered your channel - really nice content!

An absolute masterpiece!

Kiitos videosta ja historiasta. Venáján tsar ei enáá ole, Suomi eláá vielá.

Awesome video as always!

Sibelius wrote some famous Halloween-Related Works such as The Swan of Tuonela, Valse Triste, & Tapiola.

Excellent explanation. Thanks. I subscribed and will check out your other videos.

A superb insight into Finlandia. Thank you

Excellent work!!!! Congratulations!!!!

The first 7 notes from the well known hymn at the end of Finlandia by Sibelius are exactly the same as those of a catalan song to the Virgin of the Monastery of Montserrat in Catalonia close to Barcelona. This catalan song is 'The Virolai', and was composed in 1881. Because Finlandia's Sibelius is from 1899, the core melody of that particular hymn seems a mere transposition of the Catalan song. For sure Sibelius took it from this traditional song. Ah my dear Sibelius.... you're a rather cheatty guy!!

In the beginning you say that Finland was part of the Russian Federation. Finland has never been part of the Russian Federation (nor the Soviet Union for that matter), it was part of the Russian Empire.

I laud your efforts, but... well, I am four years late so you have no doubt long since learned this, but nothing beats a native source to double check your work before release!

Oi, Suomi, katso, sinun päiväs koittaa!

OH! I knew I recognized this channel, he made the great video on the 1812 Overture!

When the February manifest of 1899 came along. Finnish graduates from around the country took up a mission to collect as many names to a petition against the manifest and present it to Tsar Nikolas II. They ended up gathering half a million names in 11 days! while going across Finland with their skis! Half a million from Finland's total population of just over 2 million at the time. Just imagine it every fourth Finn had their name on the petition. During a time with no cars, only carriages, with no internet nor proper roads. and when it was time to present the petition to the tsar, Tsar Nikolas II did not even care to see it, but made them turn back by relaying a message to one of his generals.

I like how you explained the piece! The piece is really good! However, I did hear some parts that reminded me of Tchaikovsky.

When asked by the Russian censors, Sibelius called this piece Fantasia, to obfuscate his nationalist ideals.

First of all: this is a lovely video that gives info about the circumstances in which the piece was written that is crucial to understand it. Furthermore, I'm already going to bother you with annoying... suggestions! *gasp* Some very interesting pieces that might make your video can be Shostakovich's 8th String Quartet, Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony, or the, in my opinion, incredibly underrated and underperformed 2nd Symphony of Leevi Madetoja. I would be absolutely delighted if these ideas would make it in a video. I'm sure that not only we, the viewers, will learn new, interesting things, but that you will too. Good luck.

Be Still My Soul is a banger

Greetings from finland SUOMI PERKELE

Correction: Russian EMPIRE, not Federation.

I love this channel

My college euphonium/tuba ensemble played an arrangement of this.

Thx

8:35 And they sang this Hymn eventhough the tyranny forbade them!

Russian empire, not russian federation:p

Awesome! (and first i think 🙂 )

❤❤😂😂🎉

I’m still pissed that this isn’t our national anthemn..

Finland has never been part of Russian Federation. Russian Empire sure, but not the RF, which is the name of 21st century Russia.

Be still my soul for non gospel fans I love classical music and gospel

I notice that you have the romantic era extending to 1950. I disagree. That ignores impressionism, expressionism, 12-tone, neo-classical, and other trends of the first half of the 20th century that are quite different from romanticism. I recognize, however, that there were some composers during that time period whose music could be described as "neo-romantic", but the prefix "neo" implies that the original romantic era had ceased some time before.

What recording did you use in this video?!!