October 7, 2022
Each week, discover one of the members of the Network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians. These places link the past, present and future, they honor a tangible and intangible heritage and fulfill an essential cultural purpose in Europe. This week, we invite you to Finland to discover the Ainola house-museum of Aino and her husband Jean Sibelius, a couple of composers.
Aino and Jean Sibelius were Europeans, both by their origins and by their musical career, which took them to the four corners of the continent, with the magnificent house they had built and where they lived most of their lives with their children. This is also where they composed the majority of their works. The house, named after Aino, is now a museum dedicated to their life and work.
The composer couple Aino and Jean Sibelius
After graduating from the Finnish-speaking high school in Hämeenlinna, Jean Sibelius began studying violin and composition at the Helsinki Music Institute, now the Sibelius Academy. Sibelius then continued his studies in Berlin and Vienna. In 1892, he married Aino Järnefelt and published the work that made him famous: the Kullervo Symphony. Sibelius became a leading figure in the national awakening, and the symphonic poem Finlandia (1899) became a symbol of the struggle for Finnish independence. Shortly after settling in Ainola, he composed works that made musical history: the Karelian Suite, the Lemminkäinen Legends, the First and Second Symphonies and Valse Triste.
The house of this great Finnish musician is located in Järvenpää, on the shores of Lake Tuusulanjärvi in the northern suburbs of Helsinki. At the end of the 19th century, this place had all the advantages of Bougival, on the banks of the Seine, in France at the same time. The town was close to the capital and was a source of tranquillity and inspiration. Thus, many Finnish artists, musicians, writers and painters chose to settle by the lake.
When architect Lars Sonck began designing Ainola, the house of Jean Sibelius and his wife Aino in Järvenpää, Jean Sibelius had two wishes: he wanted a view of Lake Tuusulanjärvi from his office window and a green fireplace in the dining room. These wishes were fulfilled by this architect, one of the most famous of his time in Finland. He is best known for his churches, including the one in Turku, and Art Nouveau public buildings, but he also designed dozens of wooden villas during his career.
Jean Sibelius' wishes included a green fireplace and a view of Lake Tuusulanjärvi
The Sibelius house became habitable in the autumn of 1904. The composer's office, the dining room, two bedrooms, the kitchen and the helpers' room had been completed on the ground floor.
Discover the house in video
The first floor was completed in 1911. It includes the master bedroom, a study with a view of the lake and a guest room. At the same time, the ground floor office was transformed into a hall and a large opening was made between the dining room and this hall. The log walls were then papered and the furniture was purchased according to the standard of the bourgeois families of the time.
Jean Sibelius died at the age of 91 in his house on 20 September 1957 and was buried in the garden. After his death, his wife Aino continued to live there until her death at the age of 97 on 8 June 1969. She is also buried in the garden. The Sibelius tomb is designed by their nephew Aulis Blomstedt.
For more information, please visit: www.ainola.fi
October 7, 2022
Each week, discover one of the members of the Network of Houses and Museums of European Musicians. These places link the past, present and future, they honor a tangible and intangible heritage and fulfill an essential cultural purpose in Europe. This week, we invite you to Finland to discover the Ainola house-museum of Aino and her husband Jean Sibelius, a couple of composers.
Aino and Jean Sibelius were Europeans, both by their origins and by their musical career, which took them to the four corners of the continent, with the magnificent house they had built and where they lived most of their lives with their children. This is also where they composed the majority of their works. The house, named after Aino, is now a museum dedicated to their life and work.
The composer couple Aino and Jean Sibelius
After graduating from the Finnish-speaking high school in Hämeenlinna, Jean Sibelius began studying violin and composition at the Helsinki Music Institute, now the Sibelius Academy. Sibelius then continued his studies in Berlin and Vienna. In 1892, he married Aino Järnefelt and published the work that made him famous: the Kullervo Symphony. Sibelius became a leading figure in the national awakening, and the symphonic poem Finlandia (1899) became a symbol of the struggle for Finnish independence. Shortly after settling in Ainola, he composed works that made musical history: the Karelian Suite, the Lemminkäinen Legends, the First and Second Symphonies and Valse Triste.
The house of this great Finnish musician is located in Järvenpää, on the shores of Lake Tuusulanjärvi in the northern suburbs of Helsinki. At the end of the 19th century, this place had all the advantages of Bougival, on the banks of the Seine, in France at the same time. The town was close to the capital and was a source of tranquillity and inspiration. Thus, many Finnish artists, musicians, writers and painters chose to settle by the lake.
When architect Lars Sonck began designing Ainola, the house of Jean Sibelius and his wife Aino in Järvenpää, Jean Sibelius had two wishes: he wanted a view of Lake Tuusulanjärvi from his office window and a green fireplace in the dining room. These wishes were fulfilled by this architect, one of the most famous of his time in Finland. He is best known for his churches, including the one in Turku, and Art Nouveau public buildings, but he also designed dozens of wooden villas during his career.
Jean Sibelius' wishes included a green fireplace and a view of Lake Tuusulanjärvi
The Sibelius house became habitable in the autumn of 1904. The composer's office, the dining room, two bedrooms, the kitchen and the helpers' room had been completed on the ground floor.
Discover the house in video
The first floor was completed in 1911. It includes the master bedroom, a study with a view of the lake and a guest room. At the same time, the ground floor office was transformed into a hall and a large opening was made between the dining room and this hall. The log walls were then papered and the furniture was purchased according to the standard of the bourgeois families of the time.
Jean Sibelius died at the age of 91 in his house on 20 September 1957 and was buried in the garden. After his death, his wife Aino continued to live there until her death at the age of 97 on 8 June 1969. She is also buried in the garden. The Sibelius tomb is designed by their nephew Aulis Blomstedt.
For more information, please visit: www.ainola.fi
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