Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius born 19 March 1809, Hamburg; died 8 January
1891, Helsinki
Pacius studied composition and the violin in his native Germany.
He went on to join the Court Orchestra in Stockholm and finally became teacher
of music at the University of Helsinki...
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Fredrik (Friedrich) Pacius born 19 March 1809, Hamburg; died 8 January
1891, Helsinki
Pacius studied composition and the violin in his native Germany.
He went on to join the Court Orchestra in Stockholm and finally became teacher
of music at the University of Helsinki (1835-69). In Helsinki, he combined and
improved the budding musical life of the city, conducted choirs and orchestras
and organized hundreds of concerts on a grand scale. The title of 'Father of
Finnish Music' bestowed on him is no exaggeration in view of his accomplishments.
Not only was he a teacher and a performer, he was also a composer and a poet.
The premiere production of the opera Kaarle kuninkaan metsästys (The
Hunt of King Charles) in 1852 was a milestone in the history of Finnish music:
it was the first grand opera written in Finland, even if the libretto by Topelius
was in Swedish. A Finnish translation was provided by Jalmari Finne at the turn
of the century.
Pacius was thoroughly grounded in German Romanticism, which he continued to
uphold in his later works for the stage, Kypron prinsessa (Princess of
Cyprus) and Loreley. Pacius also contributed to national sentiments in
Finland through his settings of poems by the national poet Runeberg, including
'Maamme' (Our land), today Finland's national anthem, 'Suomen laulu' (Finland's
song) and 'Sotilaspoika' (Soldier boy).