Happy Birthday Jean Sibelius

Posted on December 8, 2021 by wordcloud9

Jean Sibelius, Finland’s greatest composer, was born on December 8, 1865.  He began taking piano lessons at age nine, but it was the violin that became his favorite instrument. He became a very good player, but as composing quickly became his main passion, he was not quite good enough to play his own Violin Concerto.

His most famous piece is of course Finlandia. It has roused the Finnish spirit ever since, in their struggle to be free from Russian dominance, and when the Nazis invaded during WWII.

Sibelius is a national hero in Finland, and his birthday is a flag day, known as the Day of Finnish Music.

To hear Finlandia click:

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Nona Blyth Cloud has lived and worked in the Los Angeles area for over 50 years, spending much of that time commuting on the 405 Freeway. After Hollywood failed to appreciate her genius for acting and directing, she began a second career managing non-profits, from which she has retired. Nona has now resumed writing whatever comes into her head, instead of reports and pleas for funding. She lives in a small house overrun by books with her wonderful husband.
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