Merikanto Oskar (1868-1924)
Finland
Composer, was born in Helsinki, died in Oitti.
English
It may be a bit surprising to find that the most popular and beloved composer in Finland at the turn of the 20th century was not Sibelius but Oskar Merikanto (1868–1924). Whereas Sibelius was solidly entrenched in the realm of high culture and was thus the property of the upper classes, as it were, Oskar Merikanto built bridges between concert music and the public at large. To this end, he undertook extensive concert tours in Finland as an organist, a concert pianist and an accompanist.
His life's work covered an exceptionally broad span in Finnish music; in addition to everything else, he was a church organ inspector, a conductor, an educator and a music critic. Merikanto had a naturally flowing melodic vein, and he is best remembered for his solo songs and piano pieces, over 100 of each. It is indicative of just how popular he was and is that many of his songs are erroneously held to be folk songs.
A contributing factor to his popularity was that he was the first major Finnish composer to set texts in Finnish. His evergreen songs include “Annina”, “Hän kulkevi kuin yli kukkien” (She Walks on Flowers), “Miksi laulan” (Why Do I Sing), “Laatokka” (Ladoga), “Kun päivä paistaa” (When the Sun Shines), “Elämälle” (To Life) and “Soi vienosti murheeni soitto” (Play Softly, O Song of my Mourning).
Some of his piano miniatures have similarly achieved the status of a classic, such as “Romanssi”, “Kesäillan idylli” (Summer Evening Idyll), “Idylli” and the waltzes “Kesäillan valssi” (Waltz of the Summer Evening), “Valse à la Chopin” and “Valse lente”. Also, his Passacaglia (1913 at latest) is one of the earliest major works in the Finnish organ repertoire.
Although Merikanto is best known for his small-scale pieces, he was not just a miniaturist. He also wrote three operas, the first of which, “Pohjan neiti” (The Maiden of the North, 1898), based on the Kalevala, was the first opera ever written to an original libretto in Finnish. However, neither “Pohjan neiti” nor his two other operas, “Elinan surma” (The Death of Elina, 1910) and “Regina von Emmeritz” (1920), have survived the test of time. (Kimmo Korhonen: Inventing Finnish Music - Contemporary Composers from Medieval to Modern translated by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)
Web: http://www.fimic.fi
His life's work covered an exceptionally broad span in Finnish music; in addition to everything else, he was a church organ inspector, a conductor, an educator and a music critic. Merikanto had a naturally flowing melodic vein, and he is best remembered for his solo songs and piano pieces, over 100 of each. It is indicative of just how popular he was and is that many of his songs are erroneously held to be folk songs.
A contributing factor to his popularity was that he was the first major Finnish composer to set texts in Finnish. His evergreen songs include “Annina”, “Hän kulkevi kuin yli kukkien” (She Walks on Flowers), “Miksi laulan” (Why Do I Sing), “Laatokka” (Ladoga), “Kun päivä paistaa” (When the Sun Shines), “Elämälle” (To Life) and “Soi vienosti murheeni soitto” (Play Softly, O Song of my Mourning).
Some of his piano miniatures have similarly achieved the status of a classic, such as “Romanssi”, “Kesäillan idylli” (Summer Evening Idyll), “Idylli” and the waltzes “Kesäillan valssi” (Waltz of the Summer Evening), “Valse à la Chopin” and “Valse lente”. Also, his Passacaglia (1913 at latest) is one of the earliest major works in the Finnish organ repertoire.
Although Merikanto is best known for his small-scale pieces, he was not just a miniaturist. He also wrote three operas, the first of which, “Pohjan neiti” (The Maiden of the North, 1898), based on the Kalevala, was the first opera ever written to an original libretto in Finnish. However, neither “Pohjan neiti” nor his two other operas, “Elinan surma” (The Death of Elina, 1910) and “Regina von Emmeritz” (1920), have survived the test of time. (Kimmo Korhonen: Inventing Finnish Music - Contemporary Composers from Medieval to Modern translated by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi)
Web: http://www.fimic.fi