Finlandia

Finlandia is a symphonic poem by Jean Sibelius. The first version was written in 1899, and it was revised in 1900. The piece was composed for patriotic pageant performed to mobilise popular opposition to the revocation of Finnish autonomy by the government of the Russian Empire.

The last hymn-like part of Finlandia was later extracted by Sibelius and used in the Finlandia Hymn.

There is also a story by William Saroyan called Finlandia, in which Saroyan writes about his love for Finlandia and a meeting with Sibelius. Finlandia is also named in his most famous short story, The Daring Young Man On The Flying Trapeze .

External Links

• Finlandia page on Virtual Finland, including traditional lyrics
• Lyrics by Lloyd Stone, as sung by artists such as The Indigo Girls