Väinämöinen's Song (in Finnish: ; sometimes translated to English simply as Väinö's Song), Op. 110, is a single-movement, patriotic cantata for mixed choir and orchestra written in 1926 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which is a setting of Runo XLIII (lines 385–434) of the Kalevala, Finland's national epic, is chronologically the final of Sibelius's nine orchestral cantatas; in particular, it belongs to the series of four "little known, but beautiful" cantatas from the composer's mature period that also includes My Own Land (Op. 92, 1918), Song of the Earth (Op. 93, 1919), and Hymn of the Earth (Op. 95, 1920). Väinämöinen's Song premiered on 28 June 1926 in Sortavala, Finland.
Instrumentation Väinämöinen's Song 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), 3 trumpets (in B), and 3 trombones Timpani, bass drum, triangle, and glockenspiel Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses
The cantata premiered on 26 June 1926 at a singing festival in Sortavala (then still part of Finland), with the Finnish conductor Robert Kajanus conducting.
History
Text Original Finnish English translation"Ole puolla poikiesi, aina lastesi apuna, aina yöllisnä tukena, päivällisnä vartijana, vihoin päivän paistamatta, vihoin kuun kumottamatta, vihoin tuulen tuulematta, vihoin saamatta satehen, pakkasen palelematta, kovan ilman koskematta!
"Aita rautainen rakenna, kivilinna liitättele ympäri minun eloni, kahen puolen kansoani, maasta saaen taivosehen, taivosesta maahan asti, asukseni, ainokseni, tuekseni, turvakseni [...]"'O protect thy sons for ever, May'st thou always aid thy children, Guard them always in the night-time, And protect them in the daytime, Lest the sun should cease from shining, Lest the moon should cease from beaming, Lest the winds should cease from blowing, Lest the rain should cease from falling, Lest the Frost should come and freeze us, And the evil weather harm us!
'Build thou up a fence of iron, And of stone a castle build us, Round the spot where I am dwelling, And round both sides of my people, Build it up from earth to heaven, Build it down to earth from heaven, As my own, my lifelong dwelling, As my refuge and protection [...]'
Discography The Estonian conductor Eri Klas and the Finnish National Opera Orchestra and Chorus made the world premiere studio recording of the Väinämöinen's Song in 1990 for Ondine. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:
Conductor Orchestra Chorus Time Venue Label 1 Finnish National Opera Orchestra Finnish National Opera Chorus 1990 9:40 Ondine 2 Estonian National Symphony Orchestra Estonian National Male ChoirEllerhein Girls' Choir 2002 8:42 Estonia Concert Hall Virgin Classics 3 Lahti Symphony Orchestra 2004 8:53 Sibelius Hall BIS
Notes, references, and sources Notes
References
Sources
External links