Six Songs, Op. 36 (Sibelius) Explained

Six Songs, Op. 36
Type:	Song collection
Image Upright:	.9
Border:	Yes
Language:	Swedish
Opus:	36
Composed:	–1900; No. 6  1917

The Six Songs, Op. 36, is a collection of Swedish-language art songs for vocal soloist and piano written from 1899 to 1900 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. As a group, Op. 36 is Sibelius's most popular song set; indeed, "Swedish: Svarta rosor|italics=no" is arguably the best-known song in his entire oeuvre. "Swedish: Säv, säv, susa|italics=no", too, is oft-performed.

Constituent songs

Ordered by catalogue number, the Op. 36 songs are as follows:

• "Swedish: Svarta rosor|italics=no" ("Black Roses"), Op. 36/1 (1899); text by the Swedish poet Ernst Josephson
• "Swedish: Men min fågel märks dock icke|italics=no" ("But My Bird is Long in Homing"), Op. 36/2 (1899); text by the Finnish poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg
• "Swedish: Bollspelet vid Trianon|italics=no" ("Tennis at Trianon"), Op. 36/3 (1899); text by the Swedish poet Gustaf Fröding
• "Swedish: Säv, säv, susa|italics=no" ("Sigh, Sigh, Sedges"), Op. 36/4 (1900); text by Fröding
• "Swedish: Marssnön|italics=no" ("The March Snow"), Op. 36/5 (1900); text by the Finnish poet Josef Julius Wecksell
• "Swedish: Demanten på marssnön|italics=no" ("The Diamond on the March Snow"), Op. 36/6 (1900); text by Wecksell

The collection was first published piecemeal by two Helsinki-based firms: (Swedish: Helsingfors Nya Musikhandel|italics=no) printed Nos. 1–4 from 1900 to 1901, while Axel E. Lindgren printed Nos. 5–6 in 1901. The table below provides additional information about each song:

Song	Tempo	Time	Key	Premiere
Soloist	Pianist	Date	Venue
	Commodo						Solemnity Hall, Helsinki
	Andantino
	Vivace
	Andantino					Autumn	?
	Andantino						, Helsinki
	Commodo						Solemnity Hall, Helsinki

Orchestral version of No. 6

In January 1917, Sibelius arranged "Swedish: Demanten på marssnön|italics=no" for vocalist and orchestra, which he intended for his frequent collaborator, the celebrated Finnish soprano Ida Ekman; she premiered this version of the song on 22 February 1917 in Helsinki, with her husband,, conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. It is scored for the following instruments and voices, organized by family (vocalists, woodwinds, and strings):

• Vocalist (typically soprano or baritone)
• 2 flutes and 2 clarinets
• Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, double basses, and harp

The orchestral version of "Swedish: Demanten på marssnön|italics=no" was first published in Volume VIII/1 of the Jean Sibelius Works (JSW) critical edition, an ongoing collaborative project involving the National Library of Finland, the German firm of Breitkopf & Härtel, and the Sibelius Society of Finland.

Notes, references, and sources

Sources

• Book: Barnett, Andrew. Sibelius. 2007. New Haven, Connecticut. Yale University Press. 978-0-300-16397-1.
• Book: Dahlström, Fabian.

  sv:Fabian Dahlström

  . Jean Sibelius: Thematisch-bibliographisches Verzeichnis seiner Werke. Jean Sibelius: A Thematic Bibliographic Index of His Works. 2003. Breitkopf & Härtel. Wiesbaden. de. 3-7651-0333-0.
• Book: Layton, Robert. Robert Layton (musicologist). Sibelius. 4th. (The Master Musicians Series). 1993. 1965. New York. Schirmer Books. 0028713222.