Armas Järnefelt facts for kids
Edvard Armas Järnefelt (born August 14, 1869 – died June 23, 1958) was a Finnish conductor and composer. He is known for his orchestral pieces like Praeludium (1900) and Berceuse (1904). Järnefelt spent a large part of his career working as a conductor at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Sweden.
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Life
Armas Järnefelt was born in Vyborg, which was then part of the Grand Duchy of Finland. His father was General August Aleksander Järnefelt, and his mother was Elisabeth Järnefelt.
Järnefelt studied music with Ferruccio Busoni in Helsinki. He also studied with Jules Massenet in Paris, France. Armas Järnefelt and Busoni were good friends with Jean Sibelius. Sibelius was married to Järnefelt's sister, Aino.
Starting in 1905, Järnefelt had a long career at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. He began as a repetiteur (a coach for singers) from 1905 to 1911. He became a Swedish citizen in 1909. Later, he worked as a conductor from 1911 to 1923. He became the chief conductor from 1923 to 1933.
From 1932 to 1936, Järnefelt was the artistic director and conductor of the Finnish National Opera. He helped present famous operas like Siegfried and Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner. He also conducted Parsifal. Järnefelt was the main conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra from 1942 to 1943. He also returned to the Royal Swedish Opera as chief conductor from 1938 to 1946. He passed away in Stockholm.
Works
Järnefelt wrote many musical pieces. Some of his well-known works include:
- Lyrical Overture (1892)
- Lapsuuden ajoilta (Childhood Days, 1892) for piano
- Serenade for Small Orchestra in B minor (1893)
- Symphonic poem Korsholma (Korsholm, 1894)
- Symphonic Fantasy for orchestra (1895)
- Symphonic poem Heimathklang (The Sound of Home, 1895)
- 3 Piano Pieces Op.4 (1897)
- Suite in E-flat major for orchestra (1897)
- Finnish Rhapsody (1899)
- Praeludium (1900)
- Festive Overture (1902)
- Berceuse (1904)
He also composed more than 70 songs for solo singers. He wrote 21 pieces for male choirs and 12 pieces for mixed choirs. He also created 13 cantatas (musical works for voices and instruments). His piece Berceuse (1904) is often played on the violin and piano. It is part of the Royal Conservatory of Music's violin lessons in Canada.
Järnefelt also wrote music for plays and movies. For example, he wrote music for the film Song of the Scarlet Flower (1919). This movie was directed by Mauritz Stiller. This might have been the first original movie music written by a composer from the Nordic countries.
Family life
Armas Järnefelt had several brothers and sisters. His brother Kasper Järnefelt was a critic and translated Russian books. His brother Arvid Järnefelt was a writer. The music for Arvid's play Kuolema was written by Jean Sibelius. His brother Eero Järnefelt was a painter. His sister Aino married the famous composer Jean Sibelius.
Armas Järnefelt was married two times. His first wife was the singer Maikki Järnefelt. They were married from 1893 to 1908. Later, in 1910, he married another opera singer named Liva Edström.
Legacy
In June 2012, an exhibit about Järnefelt was opened. It is located at the entrance of the Sibelius Academy in the Helsinki Music Center.
See also
In Spanish: Armas Järnefelt para niños
