Sibelius for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first

Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer who lived from 1865 to 1957. His music helped the people of Finland feel like a nation at a time when their country was ruled by Russia. He wrote seven symphonies, a violin concerto, and Finlandia, which became a symbol of Finnish freedom. The best first piece for a child is the “Alla marcia” from the Karelia Suite, a bright march that lasts about four minutes.

Quick facts

• Born: 1865, in Hämeenlinna, Finland
• Died: 1957, in Järvenpää, Finland
• Era: Romantic and Modern
• Played: violin
• Known for: Finlandia, the Violin Concerto, the Karelia Suite, and seven symphonies

The life in short

Sibelius’s father, a doctor, died when Jean was two. The boy grew up in a house of women: his mother, his grandmother, and his aunts. He spent his summers by the sea and in the woods.

He started the violin at 14 and dreamed of becoming a great soloist. He practiced for hours, often outdoors. He began too late and suffered from stage fright, and in his twenties he gave up that dream. He turned to composing.

His family spoke Swedish, as many in Finland did then. At school, he learned Finnish and read the Kalevala, a long poem of old Finnish legends. Its heroes and magic filled his music for years.

In 1892, he married Aino Järnefelt. They had six daughters. In 1904, they built a log house in the forest beside a lake and named it Ainola, after her. He lived there for the rest of his life.

In 1899, Finland’s Russian rulers tightened their control over newspapers. Finns held a set of events in protest, and Sibelius wrote music for them. The last piece became Finlandia. For a time, it had to be played under other titles to get past the censors.

The Finnish government gave him a yearly income so that he could compose. Finland became independent in 1917.

In the late 1920s, Sibelius stopped publishing new music. He lived 30 more years in near silence. He worked on an eighth symphony and then burned it.

What the music sounds like

Sibelius’s music sounds like the north: wide, cold, and still, with sudden blazes of brass. He builds big tunes out of small scraps that grow and join together. Long held notes in the low strings and winds lie under the music.

He loved birds, above all swans and cranes, and they turn up in his pieces.

Four pieces to play first

“Alla marcia,” from the Karelia Suite. A cheerful march with a tune that is easy to hum. A brass fanfare joins partway through.

Finlandia. It opens with growling brass. A fast, fighting section follows. Then comes a calm hymn, which Finns now sing as a song of their own. See Finlandia for kids.

Symphony No. 5, last movement. Sibelius saw 16 swans fly over his house and wrote down a theme. In the music, the horns swing back and forth between notes like great wings. The symphony ends with six huge chords, with silence between them.

The Swan of Tuonela. A swan glides on a dark river in the land of the dead. An English horn plays its long, sad song.

Things to do together

Swing like the horns. Play the last movement of Symphony No. 5. When the horns begin to swing, sway your arms like slow wings.

Count the chords. At the end of that movement, count the six chords. Guess when each one will come.

Three parts. Play Finlandia. Give each part a name: angry, brave, and calm. Hold up one, two, or three fingers as each begins.

March. Play the “Alla marcia” and march. Change direction when the brass fanfare comes in.

Find Finland. Find Finland on a map. Look at photos of its lakes and forests while the music plays.

A national holiday

Finland flies its flags each year on December 8, Sibelius’s birthday. It is the country’s day of Finnish music.

Print and play

Fill in a composer study notebook page for Sibelius. For another composer who gave his country a sound, read Grieg for kids and Dvořák for kids. For what a symphony is, see symphony, concerto, and sonata explained.

For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.