WFCC

Classical Fact

In classical music, the name Jean Sibelius is synonymous with nationalism. The political climate in Finland at the time helped to create Finlandia and helped to make it popular. Czarist Russia imposed a strict censorship policy on the small nation in 1899. Sibelius composed Finlandia for performance at a fund-raising event that was held by the Finnish press, the professed purpose of which was to raise money for newspaper pension funds. In actuality, it was to rally support of a free press. Russian authorities were so incensed by the piece that the people of Finland were forbidden to whistle or hum it in public.