Medic's ramblings about Finland

[Medic]

And now, let us track a bit backwards (so yes, no Lauri Törni this time) for a musical edition of the thread: Medic's ramblings about Finland.

There are several pieces of composition that have had a great meaning to Finns as a nation and as people. They include the national anthem, Maamme by a German immigrant, Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius with the words of Johan Ludvig Runeberg, performed the first time on May 13th, 1848. It is said, the melody is very close to the German drinking song Papst und Sultan, which is disliked by some Finns. It has full eleven stanzas as a poem, but only two of them are sung.

Another, very well thought of piece of music, probably the second most important to the Finns, is the Finlandia, composed by Jean Sibelius in 1899. The official lyrics were added by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi and the first official performance was on December 7th, 1940 in Helsinki. Though Sibelius never originally meant the hymn to be sung, but did not discourage this either. Every now and then, someone usually suggests, Finlandia should become the Finnish national anthem in stead of Maamme - it is more emotionally evocative, but also far more difficult to sing. I do have to say, I love this piece myself and well sung by all male choir, it is something that just sends shivers down my spine. Especially this version, sung as a flashmob at Helsinki Central Railway Station by a choir of men who supported the presidential candidate Pekka Haavisto, is something to just listen and be awestruck - also, pretty nice acoustics for a train station, isn't it?

Of course, there is the Porilaisten marssi (which refers to the Pori Regiment dating back to 1626 when the Regiment was founded by the Swedes), arranged for military band by Nicolai (Nikolaus) Conrad (Konrad) Peter Otto Greve, a German composer, violinist and conductor, who worked in Finland on several occasions, the latest being as the conductor of the Turku Grenadierbattalion (a Imperial Russian unit at the time) prior to his death in 1851. It is the honorary march of Finnish Defence Forces.

These three are only part of the Finnish musical heritage, but if I would write down all those I even partially consider important, it would take a very long time.

That's all for tonight. Thank you for reading.