Jean Sibelius

Books about Jean Sibelius and his music

David Hurwitz and Jean Sibelius Sibelius Orchestral Works: An Owner's Manual (Unlocking the Masters) Amadeus Press, 2006; ISBN 1574671499; 256 pages Jean Sibelius was not only Finland's greatest composer, he was one of the most distinctive and appealing musical voices in the first half of the 20th century, especially renowned for his characterful handling of the romantic symphony orchestra. His example has led directly to an unprecedented cultural flowering in his homeland, making this small country of 5 million people a powerhouse in the world of classical music composition and performance. Sibelius The Orchestral Works - An Owner's Manual considers over 80 individual orchestral pieces, from songs and choruses to symphonies, tone poems, overtures, and theatrical music. Along the way, readers are invited to identify and enjoy the fascinating mix of elements that make up Sibelius's colorful personal idiom. Two CDs accompanying the text offer not only a rich selection of music by Sibelius, including two complete symphonies and two of his most popular tone poems, but also a representative selection of the best Finnish music by his contemporaries and successors. This approach offers a unique opportunity: to hear Sibelius in context and gain an understanding of exactly what distinguishes him from his contemporaries, how he influenced later generations, and how it was that he came to be viewed as the musical spokesperson of an entire nation. Price indication: $ 18.45

Glenda Dawn Goss The Sibelius Companion Greenwood Press, 1996; ISBN 0313283931; 472 pages The Sibelius Companion represents in its collected chapters the most advanced research in the field of Sibelius studies today. Since mid-century, so much new information has come to light that our understanding of both the man and his music has changed profoundly. These changes are fully represented in the present volume. Price indication: $ 125.00

Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell The New Grove Turn of the Century Masters: Janacek, Mahler, Strauss, Sibelius (Composer Biography Series) W. W. Norton & Company, 1985; ISBN 0393300986; 324 pages Price indication: $ 49.99

Karl Ekman Jean Sibelius, His Life And Personality (Music Book Index) Reprint Services Corp, 1938; ISBN 0781294916 Price indication: $ 79.00

Eero Tarasti and Eero. Tarasti Myth and Music: A Semiotic Approach to the Aesthetics of Myth in Music, Especially That of Wagner, Sibelius and Stravinsky (Approaches to Semiotics, 51) Walter De Gruyter Inc, 1979; ISBN 9027979189; 366 pages Price indication: $ 33.70

Andrew Barnett Jean Sibelius Yale University Press, 1959; ISBN 0300111592; 464 pages <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Informed by a wealth of information that has come to light in recent years, this engaging biography tells the complete story of the life and musical work of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Drawing on Sibelius’s own correspondence and diaries, contemporary reviews, and the remarks of family and friends, the book presents a rich account of the events of the musician’s life. In addition, this volume is the first to set every work and performable fragment by Sibelius in its historical and musical context. Filling a significant gap, the biography also provides the first accurate information about much of the composer’s early music. <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">  <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt">Writing for the general music-lover, Andrew Barnett combines his own extensive knowledge of Sibelius’s music with the insights of other scholars and musicians. He lays to rest a number of myths and untruths—that Sibelius wrote no chamber music of value, for example, and that he stopped composing in 1926 and didn’t need to compose to earn a living. Barnett completes the volume with the most thorough worklist available and an authoritative chronology of Sibelius’s entire output. Price indication: $ 38.00

James A. Hepokoski and Julian Rushton Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 (Cambridge Music Handbooks) Cambridge University Press, 1993; ISBN 0521409586; 124 pages Sibelius's Fifth is one of the great late-Romantic symphonies. In this searching account, based on a wealth of new information, James Hepokoski takes a fresh look at the work and its composer. His findings have implications beyond Sibelius himself into the entire repertory of post-Wagnerian symphonic composition. In addition to providing a descriptive analytical overview, the book also chronicles the work's initial composition and subsequent revisions. It concludes with a discussion of the composer's own prescribed tempos, along with a comparison of several different recordings. Price indication: $ 24.99

Daniel M. Grimley and Jonathan Cross The Cambridge Companion to Sibelius (Cambridge Companions to Music) Cambridge University Press, 2004; ISBN 0521894603; 294 pages This Companion provides an up-to-date introduction to the life and music of Finland's greatest composer, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Divided into four sections, it explores Sibelius's early career, his major musical achievements, historical reception and influence, and the performance and interpretation of his work. Sibelius emerges as one of the most striking figures in twentieth-century music. The book will be of interest to performers and the general public as well as serious scholars. Price indication: $ 24.89

Burnett James Sibelius (Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers) Exclusive distributors, Music Sales Corp, 1989; ISBN 0711910618; 112 pages Price indication: $ 4.62

Erik Tawaststjerna Sibelius 1904-1914 University of California Press, 1987; ISBN 0520058690; 302 pages Price indication: $ 39.99

Glenda Dawn Goss Jean Sibelius and Olin Downes: Music, Friendship, Criticism Northeastern University Press, 1994; ISBN 1555532004; 320 pages Glenda Dawn Goss draws on nearly thirty years of correspondence as she examines the zealous promotion of composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) by the conservative New York Times music critic, Olin Downes (1886-1955) and analyzes the process by which an influential critic shapes public musical taste. Price indication: $ 40.00

Erik Tawaststjerna Sibelius 1865 1905 University of California Press, 1976; ISBN 0520030141; 316 pages Price indication: $ 36.00

Hermine Weigel Williams Sibelius and His Masonic Music: Sounds in 'Silence' (Studies in the History and Interpretation of Music) Edwin Mellen Press, 1998; ISBN 0773483764; 249 pages Price indication: $ 109.95

Timothy L. Jackson and Veijo Murtomäki Sibelius Studies (Cambridge Composer Studies) Cambridge University Press, 2008; ISBN 0521033578; 420 pages Sibelius Studies presents a new portrait of this popular and prolific composer. Sibelius's symphonies often have been mentioned in the same breath with Beethoven's; indeed, in the twentieth century, they have enjoyed a commensurate popularity. The book contextualizes Sibelius' symphonies and tone poems in the larger development of European music, especially its transition from late romanticism to modernism. The relationship between Sibelius the man and his music, his personal life and creative work, is explored, with new revelations emerging from sketches, diaries, and letters. Price indication: $ 65.00

Gerald Abraham Music Of Sibelius (Music Book Index) Reprint Services Corp, 1947; ISBN 0781296218 Price indication: $ 79.00

Glenda Daw Goss Jean Sibelius (Composer Resource Manuals) Routledge, 1997; ISBN 0815311710; 328 pages This book is a comprehensive annotated bibliography of writings about the life, times, and music of Jean Sibelius (1865-1957). Over 1,000 sources in 11 different languages are represented, from the earliest writings, which appeared in the 1890s, to studies published through 1994. Historical information and background are supplied together with an indication of the reliability of each source. Translations of studies into English, German, and French are noted, particularly important in a field where so many items are in Finnish and Swedish. Introductory essays to each section discuss Sibelius in different contexts: for example, vis--vis his contemporaries in Scandinavia, in relation to folk music, in reception history, and in the scholarly literature. Individual musical compositions have their own sections with bibliography. Comprehensive indexes cover the musical works, authors, and people and subjects mentioned. Index. Price indication: $ 106.00

Robert Layton Sibelius (Master Musicians) J M Dent & Sons Ltd, 1978; ISBN 0460031694; 224 pages Price indication: $ 17.95

Karl Ekman Jean Sibelius Hesperides Press, 2006; ISBN 140673361X Price indication: $ 29.95

Robert Layton Sibelius and his world (Pictorial Biography) Thames & Hudson, 1970; ISBN 0500130264 Price indication: (used only): from $ 9.00

Karl EKMAN Jean Sibelius Alfred A. Knopf, 1938 Price indication: (used only): from $ 4.50

Sheet music, libretti, etc.

Duo for Violin and Viola (1891-92) - Boosey and Hawkes

Finlandia (2P8H) - Warner Bros Pubns

Finlandia, Valse Triste and Other Works for Piano - Dover Publications

Great Twentieth-Century Violin Concertos in Full Score : Sibelius, Elgar, Glazunov - Dover Publications

Jean Sibelius: Rondo: (1893) Viola and Piano, First Edition - Fennica Gehrman

Music Minus One Violin: Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47 (Book & CD) - Music Minus One

Scene With Cranes Op44/2 Full Sc - Boosey and Hawkes

String Quartet Op. 56 - Eulenburg (Schott)

Suite in E Major (1888): for Violin and Piano - Boosey and Hawkes

Symphonies 1 and 2 in Full Score - Dover Publications

Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 in Full Score - Dover Publications

Symphony No. 2 in d Major, Op. 43 (Dover Miniature Scores) - Dover Publications

Symphony No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 82, in Full Score - Dover Publications

Tone Poems in Full Score - Dover Publications

Violin Concerto, Op. 47: in D minor - Eulenburg (Schott)