Hymn of the Earth

Instrumentation#

Hymn of the Earth is scored for the following instruments and voices, organized by family (vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings): *Mixed choir () *2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets (in B), and 2 bassoons *4 horns (in F), 2 trumpets (in B), and 3 trombones *Timpani *Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses

History#

The cantata resulted from a commission by the Finnish choral conductor , who had founded the mixed choir in 1900 and desired from Sibelius a new work that the ensemble could perform in the spring of 1920 to celebrate its twentieth anniversary. Sibelius, however, was unenthused, writing in his diary in January 1919: “And then there’s the promise I made Klemetti for a work for Suomen Laulu. He is by no means one of my ‘admirers’. It annoys me that he only wants to use my name as a decoration”. By late December 1919, however, Sibelius’s delay tactics ceased and he began work on the piece for Klemetti. Although Sibelius had planned to set by the Finnish poet Aleksis Kivi, he settled on by Eino Leino. It is a patriotic text that celebrates Finland, as well as the natural world. For example, in the third stanza, Leino writes: Sibelius completed the cantata in late January 1920; it premiered a few months later on 4 April 1920 (Easter Sunday) in Helsinki, with Klemetti—its dedicatee—conducting Suomen Laulu and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.

Discography#

The Estonian conductor Eri Klas and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus made the world premiere studio recording of the Hymn of the Earth in 1990 for Ondine. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

Sources#