Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland

(Hardback)

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Description

This work is a window on the panorama of Finnish music. The 500-plus entries present historical and modern composers, the accomplishments of internationally acclaimed performing artists, as well as more general articles on folk music, early manuscripts and publications, cantors and hymnals, early Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Lutheran music, leading orchestras and choral groups, and festivals. In addition to the entries, chronologies of Finnish history and Finnish music, as well as a map of Finland, correlate history and locations with the entries. The dictionary describes forms and styles of compositions, operatic roles performed, the content of scholarly work, and significant and unusual events in the lives of the musicians.

Reviews

"[A] much-needed and important work. It will serve as a valuable and informative tool for scholars and musicians alike."-Esa-Pekka Salonen Music Director Los Angeles Philharmonic
"[This book] fills the need for easily available information in English on Finnish music. Thus far it has been difficult for writers on music in English to obtain data on the wealth of music produced in Finland. This [book] is the first major source in English treating the splendid output of music by Finnish writers which will effectively serve performing artists, critics, teachers and students by providing succinct data for program annotations, critical essays and research papers."-Ruth T. Watanabe Professor Emerita of Music Bibliography and History Librarian Emerita Eastman School of Music
"Finland wields a disproportionately large impact in the music world, for such a small population. That music world often struggles to get background information, due largely to the exotic language. Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland provides us with a new and valuable reference in English."-Paul Niemisto Associate Professor of Music St. Olaf College
"I find it a great pleasure to see the publication of An Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland. It is truly an encyclopaedic work both in quality and quantity. It is also the first comprehensive publication in English about all aspects of Finnish music."-Daniel Ping-leung Law Professor of Music The Chinese University of Hong Kong
[T]he Historical Dictionary of Music and Musicians of Finland should find a place in music libraries and libraries with a strong Scandinavian concentration. This welcome resource is an excellent compilation of information pertaining to Finnish music and musicians most of which cannot be found easily in other English-language sources.-Reference & User Services Quarterly
"The Historical Dictionary of Music and Musicians of Finland should find a place in music libraries and libraries with a strong Scandinavian concentration. This welcome resource is an excellent compilation of information pertaining to Finnish music and musicians most of which cannot be found easily in other English-language sources."-Reference & User Services Quarterly
"[T]he Historical Dictionary of Music and Musicians of Finland should find a place in music libraries and libraries with a strong Scandinavian concentration. This welcome resource is an excellent compilation of information pertaining to Finnish music and musicians most of which cannot be found easily in other English-language sources."-Reference & User Services Quarterly

Author Bio

RUTH-ESTHER HILLILA, a third-generation Finnish-American musicologist and music educator, has devoted her life to the study and promotion of the music of Finland. She lived in Finland for several years, studying at the Sibelius Academy and privately with well-known musicians. Both her master's thesis and doctoral dissertation dealt with Finnish music. She was also a founder of the music department at Chung Chi College of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where she was Professor of Music for ten years. BARBARA BLANCHARD HONG, a musicologist, teaches music history and non-western music at Western Michigan University. She was a Fulbright Scholar to Finland, where she studied analysis with composer Kalervo Tuukkanen and did research on the life and works of composer-pianist Selim Palmgren for her master's thesis and doctoral dissertation.