The Järnefelts, Finnish National Romanticism, and Sibelius

Abstract

Abstract The family of General, Governor, and Senator August Alexander Järnefelt (1833–96) was remarkable for the members' combined cultural leadership and their powerful influence on the arts during a time of growing Finnish nationalism in the late nineteenth century. A look at their lives and works shows how Sibelius, married to the daughter Aino, also became caught up in their endeavors and chose a similar path. But for them, he may have gone a different way and missed the overwhelming public acclaim for his nationalist musical works.