| Abstract |
When Jean Sibelius died in 1957 at the age of ninety-one, the famous old man at Jarvenpaa had become so dehumanized as a sort of national symbol of Finland that it was all but impossible to get at the truth about him. Not until he was dead, for example, could it be determined that during the many years when he issued no new compositions, he simply was not writing any or had composed only to destroy. No eighth or ninth symphony (both of which had been widely speculated about, particularly in the United States and England) existed among his papers - and that is but a sample of the curious results of the so-called "Silence at Jarvenpaa." Earlier biographies had done little to clarify the mysterious, increasingly murky atmosphere surrounding Sibelius, though many writers and musicians had good reasons for knowing that he was different from--and far more human than--the public idea of a granitic figure renowned chiefly for his domed, bald head and his Churchillian way with cigars. The author spent two years in Finland patiently going behind the legends and mystifications to get at the facts about Sibelius and then organizing them into the present biography. Some idolaters of Sibelius may call this a "debunking" book. In reality, it is a straightforward account of Sibelius's long life, of his successes and failures, his petulant reactions to adverse criticism, his deification by his countrymen and by some American and English writers. Here are the facts about Sibelius's often contradictory statements concerning himself and his works, about his visit to the United States. Here is a fresh, completely informed estimate of his probable position in the future of music. This book is like a breath of cool air in a stuffy room. It will long remain the only credible source for information on the composer of seven much played symphonies, Finlandia, the "Valse triste," and a very considerable body of other music. |
