Finlandia hymn

The Finlandia hymn (Finnish: Finlandia-hymni) refers to a serene hymn-like section of the patriotic symphonic poem Finlandia, written in 1899 and 1900 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was later re-worked by the composer into a stand-alone piece.[1] With words written in 1940 by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi,[2] it is one of the most important national songs of Finland (though Maamme is the de facto national anthem).[3]

Other major uses of the tune include some Christian hymns.

Finnish national song

After the success of the full-length symphonic poem (most of which consists of rousing and turbulent passages, evoking the national struggle of the Finnish people), Sibelius published a stand-alone version of the hymn as the last of twelve numbers in his Masonic Ritual Music, Op. 113, with a text by opera singer Wäinö Sola. The version usually heard today has lyrics written by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi and was first performed in 1941. Sibelius himself arranged the hymn for choral performances.[4] Today, during modern performances of Finlandia in its entirety, a choir is sometimes involved, singing the Finnish lyrics with the hymn section.[5]

The de facto national anthem of Finland is Maamme (Our Land), but it has never been officially recognised. There have been numerous suggestions that the Finlandia Hymn should become the national anthem. However, Maamme is already so widely recognised and used that it would be difficult to dislodge it.[3]

Finnish lyrics:
Oi Suomi, katso, sinun päiväs koittaa,
yön uhka karkoitettu on jo pois,
ja aamun kiuru kirkkaudessa soittaa,
kuin itse taivahan kansi sois.
Yön vallat aamun valkeus jo voittaa,
sun päiväs koittaa oi synnyinmaa.

Oi nouse, Suomi, nosta korkealle
pääs seppelöimä suurten muistojen,
oi nouse, Suomi, näytit maailmalle
sa että karkoitit orjuuden
ja ettet taipunut sa sorron alle
on aamus alkanut synnyinmaa.

English translation:
Oh Finland, behold, thy daylight is dawning,
the threat of night has now been driven away.
The skylark sings across the light of morning,
like the firmament itself was chiming,
and now the day the powers of night is scorning:
thy daylight dawns, oh fatherland!

Oh Finland arise, and raise towards the highest
thy head now crowned with mighty memories.
Oh Finland arise, for to the world thou criest
that thou hast thrown off thy slavery,
beneath oppression's yoke thou never liest.
Thy morning's come, motherland!

Christian hymns

Other words commonly set to the tune include some Christian hymns. Among those in widespread use across English-speaking denominations are "Be still, my soul" and "We rest on Thee".

"Be Still, My Soul"

The Christian hymn "Be still, my soul", written in German ("Stille meine Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen") in 1752 by Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel (1697–1768) and translated into English in 1855 by Jane Laurie Borthwick (1813–1897), is usually sung to this tune.[6] It begins:

"We rest on Thee"

The hymn "We rest on Thee", written by Edith G. Cherry around 1895, is also commonly sung to the tune.[7] Its first verse is:

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender!
We go not forth alone against the foe;
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.
Strong in Thy strength, safe in Thy keeping tender,
We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.

This hymn was sung by the five missionaries involved in Operation Auca before their deaths. A line from the hymn's final verse provided the title for Elisabeth Elliot's book about the incident, Through Gates of Splendor.

Other uses

The tune was adopted for Biafra's national anthem, Land of the Rising Sun, during its attempted secession from Nigeria in the late 1960s.

In Wales the tune is often to the hymn "Gymru'n Gwlad" (For Wales, our country).

On a smaller scale it also serves as the tune for the songs of various colleges and schools.

Band covers
  • Symphonic metal band Nightwish played "Finlandia" in their Dark Passion Play tour.
  • Indigo Girls included the 1934 Lloyd Stone setting "This is My Song" on their 2005 album Rarities.
  • The Minneapolis-based all-male a cappella group Cantus recorded a special version of "This Is My Song" on March 19, 2020 and aired it on YouTube in keeping with social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

References
  1. "Hymn Tune Finlandia". Hymnary.org.
  2. "Finlandia". Finlandia.
  3. ""Maamme" (Our country), brief history of the Finnish national anthem". Europeana Sound.
  4. Arnold, Elliott. Finlandia: the story of Sibelius. H. Holt and Company, 1941.
  5. Schwarm, Betsy. "Finlandia, Tone Poem For Orchestra By Sibelius". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  6. "Be Still, My Soul". Cyberhymnal. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  7. "We Rest on Thee". Hymnary .org. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
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