Does anyone recognize this hymn tune? Could it be adapted from something Jean Sibelius wrote? The only clue I have is the possibility that it may also be in the hymnal “Cantate Domino”, which I do not have access to.
I’d be very grateful for any information you might have!
Eric
”Soi kunniaksi Luojan” was part of the Helsinki University promotion cantata in 1897. The song has been added to the Finnish Lutheran hymnbook along with the third verse additional lyrics, but there is no permission to display the sheet music on their website. If you need a PDF version with Finnish lyrics, please, message me, and I can provide you with one.
Thank you very much for the information, @SampoKasurinen and @hannuala! You solved the mystery for me. In 2027 the tune will go into the public domain in Europe (70 years after Sibelius’ death). @hannuala provided the title of the Finnish lyrics (“Soi kunniaksi Luojan” / “Sing to the Creator”).
Follow up questions:
(1) Is there any evidence that Sibelius composed this tune specifically for this text, or were they paired together later?
(2) Does this Sibelius tune have a specific tune name? If not, I suppose SOI KUNNIAKSI LUOJAN would work.
Edit: Apparently the information originally posted here about the author of the lyrics is erroneous. I found two recordings on YouTube and both attribute stanzas 1-2 to Aukusti Waldemar Koskimies (1897) and the third stanza to his wife, Ilta Koskimies (1923). Links I found:
This interesting quotation is from a University of Miami document called “A Performance Guide to Select A Cappella Works of Jean Sibelius Including Translations and Phonetic Transcriptions of Finnish Texts” (link):
“Soi kiitokseksi Luojan is the most popular and widely published piece to come out of Op. 23, but it is not universally known by this title. Ilta Koskimies—the wife of A.V. Koskimies (Forsman), with whom Sibelius collaborated on Op. 23—made significant alterations to the lyrics, and in 1938, the work was published in the Finnish Lutheran hymnal under the name Soi kunniaksi Luojan (Ring in honor of the Creator). It is this version of the hymn that is heard most often in churches throughout Finland.92 In the context of Op. 23, the hymn acts as the central chorale of the cantata. It is also a turning point for the young travelers in the story, who come to realize that God will always protect them on their journey through life.”
