Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)

Be still, my soul

Hymn on a Theme from Finlandia op. 26

Alan Boustead (arr.)
Jane Borthwick, Katharina von Schlegel (text)

[mix ch] duration: 9'

vocal text: Inglés

The original arrangement for mixed choir a cappella by Jean Sibelius is found under ChB 5371. A version for mixed choir (SATB), compatible for a performance with orchestra, can be found under w20205.

Description

The anthem from the tone poem Finlandia op. 26 for orchestra is one of Jean Sibelius' best-known pieces and, with the text by Veikko Antero Koskenniemi, became the unofficial national anthem of Finland (ChB 5371). The piece, which is also very popular outside the country, was additionally published in a German translation by Hellmuth von Hase and with various English texts. The best known of these is the Christian hymn “Be still, my soul”, a translation by Jane Borthwick (1813–1897) from the year 1855 of the hymn “Stille mein Wille, dein Jesus hilft siegen” by Katharina von Schlegel (1697–1768). This version is widespread in the Anglo-American world and is regularly sung at church services.

Breitkopf & Härtel has published five versions for different scorings such as female choir for two and three voices, male choir, single male voice and mixed choir for four voices, all with a piano accompaniment by Alan Boustead.