The ''Finlandia'' hymn () refers to a serene

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' d ...

-like section of the patriotic

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

Finlandia ''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 R ...

'', written in 1899 and 1900 by the Finnish composer

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

. It was later re-worked by the composer into a stand-alone piece. With words written in 1940 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, it is one of the most important

national National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

songs of

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

. Although not the official

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of Finland, it has been continuously proposed as such. Other major uses of the tune include several Christian

s and other

national song A national anthem is a Patriotism, patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are March (music), marches or hymns in style. The Americas, ...

Finnish national song

After the success of the full-length symphonic poem (most of which consists of rousing and turbulent passages, evoking the national struggle of the Finnish people), Sibelius published a stand-alone version of the hymn as the last of twelve numbers in his ''Masonic Ritual Music'', Op. 113, with a text by opera singer Wäinö Sola. The version usually heard today has lyrics written by Koskenniemi in 1940 and was first performed in 1941. Sibelius himself arranged the

for choral performances. Today, during modern performances of ''Finlandia'' in its entirety, a choir is sometimes involved, singing the Finnish lyrics with the hymn section. The ''Finlandia'' hymn is often proposed as an official national song or anthem of Finland.

International anthem

In 1934, Lloyd Stone wrote " This is my song", to the ''Finlandia'' tune, as an international song of peace. An expanded version with Christian themes by a later author appears in many hymnals. Conductor

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

proposed using the melody for a worldwide

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to sho ...

Christian hymns

Other words commonly set to the tune include some Christian hymns. Among those in widespread use across English-speaking denominations are "Be still, my soul" and "We rest on Thee, our shield and our defender".

"Be still, my soul"

The Christian

"Be still, my soul", written in German ''("Stille mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen")'' in 1752 by the Lutheran hymnwriter

Catharina von Schlegel Catharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel (22 October 1697 - after 1768 ) was a German hymn writer. Although little is known about her life, it is known that she lived in a Lutheran ''Damenstift'' (a residential endowment for unmarried Protestant wo ...

(1697–1768) and translated into English in 1855 by

Jane Laurie Borthwick Jane Laurie Borthwick (9 April 1813, Edinburgh, Scotland; 7 September 1897, Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is boun ...

(1813–1897), is usually sung to this tune. It begins:

"We rest on Thee"

The hymn "We rest on Thee", written by Edith G. Cherry around 1895, is also commonly sung to the tune. Its first verse is:

Other uses

The tune was adopted for

Biafra Biafara Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicized as Biafra ( ), officially the Republic of Biafra, was a List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, partially recognised state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria ...

's national anthem, ''

Land of the Rising Sun The word ''Japan'' is an exonym, and is used (in one form or another) by many languages. The Japanese names for Japan are () and (). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji . Since the third century, Chinese called the people of th ...

'', during its attempted secession from

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

in the late 1960s. On a smaller scale it also serves as the tune for the songs of various colleges and schools.

References

External links

thisisFINLAND: Facts & stats – the national anthem
{{Portalbar, Classical Music Choral compositions by Jean Sibelius Hymn tunes 1899 compositions 1938 songs 1940 songs Songs in Finnish Songs about Finland de:Finlandia#Die „Finlandia-Hymne“ es:Finlandia (Sibelius)#El Himno "Finlandia" eu:Finlandia (Sibelius)#"Finlandia" ereserkia fr:Finlandia (poème symphonique)#Versions chantées ja:フィンランディア#フィンランディア賛歌