The music of Erkki Melartin

[Alan Howe]

Eric: you're good at sleuthing. Would you be able to help us out, please?

[eschiss1]

I'll try. I see that Tawaststjerna in Sibelius: Volume I, 1865-1905, (chapter "The Second Symphony", page 256; Faber & Faber translation by Robert Layton, 1976)  mentions that the 1902 version was conducted by Sibelius April 9 1902 (in the same concert as the premiere of the first version of Sibelius' cantata The Origin of Fire). He describes the Melartin work as as "(his) setting of Erkko's dramatic poem, Wedding in Pohjola."

There is what looks like it might be a 2000s? biography and discography - "Erkki Melartinin sävellykset" - of Melartin by Heikki Poroila published by Suomen musiikkikirjastoyhdistys ? that might shed more light on this question (... I hope.) (Which refers one back alas to Finnish-speakers and those with access to the source material - apologies.)  Good news: the work catalog that's part of her book is readable for free here. That may be one of the sources already mentioned so far- will check... Ah yes. I see it's the first source Britishcomposer mentioned... sorry!

[Alan Howe]

Well, that was quick! Thanks!

Calling all Finnish speakers (unfortunately a non-Indo European language, so I can't even make an educated guess)!

[anssik]

From the catalogue of Melartin's compositions, very quick and rough:

In February 1902, Melartin was commissioned to write music for the play Pohjolan häät ("Wedding at Pohjola"), to be performed at the opening festivity of the new theatre building of the Finnish National Theatre in the following April. Melartin's music has a purely accompanying role, as there is neither an independent overture nor interludes.

Melartin added a sixty page overture at the last moment, but it could not be played until the third performance, because of the poor work done by the copyist.

"One does not hear Finnish music in it, apart from a few dance tunes; otherwise Finnish music has been lifted on such a modernist pedestal that it often sounds like neo-Italian" (Critic Oskar Merikanto, Päivälehti, 15 April 1902)

Melartin reworked the Overture so as to include it in his composition concert [...] Another piece, "Valon tarina" [Story of Light] for male choir and orchestra was performed at the concert as well. On the other hand, Melartin's plans to put together a separate suite after the style of Sibelius' Karelia-suite and Scénes Historiques seem to have come to nothing. But he included a separate song, "Pohjanneidon ylistys" ("In praise of Pohjola's Daughter") in opus 21 [21:3 in Nya sånger [New songs; Lindgren 1903)]

Opus number 179 is either an attempt, by an ill and tired composer, to keep up the appearance of productivity, or else a mistake.

[anssik]

"In praise of the Maiden of Pohjola" would be a more accurate title for Melartin's song, I suppose. Plenty of Sibelius, lately 

[britishcomposer]

Thank you all very much! 

So Melartin reworked the overture later but it is not said when exactly.
As I said before, fimic (http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/nuotisto.nsf/wteokset?readform&tekija=Melartin,%20Erkki) has two entries for Pohjolan häät, one describing the 1902 incidental music, the other the overture. fimic states that it was written in 1929. So this may be simply the date of revision. Or the person who made this catalogue has been mislaid by the high opus number - which on the other hand isn't mentioned... Strange. 

Pohjolan häät (1902), 2222 4331 21 1, str, kantele, chx, FIMIC 14583

Alkusoitto " Pohjolan häät" (1929) dur. 7', 2222 4331 11 1, str, FIMIC 14538

[anssik]

Fimic says that the Overture was "first performed" in 1929 with Ossian Fohström as conductor and that it's different from the overture in the music for the play "Pohjolan häät". So the new work might be a revision of a revision, if the overture was included in Melartin's first composition concert in 1903 (in which case it cannot have received its first performance in 1929). There's a master's thesis, by Tuire Ranta-Meyer, a Finnish specialist on Melartin, on Melartin's work 1896-1903, which might throw some light here. If I find the time, I might consult it, as soon as it is made available.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, anssik.

[britishcomposer]

Thanks indeed! 
I had overlooked the entry of the first performance at Fimic because its written in such a user-unfriendly way: 19291201. A couple of hyphens would have been nice. 

If you don't mind, anssik, keep track!

[JimL]

I think it likelier they are unrelated works on the same subject.

[jani]

The new editions of the scores of symphonies 3, 4 and 5 can be seen at http://www2.siba.fi/Melartinseura/?page=dokumentit

[eschiss1]

...
I had to go check before putting foot in mouth. it looks like it...  the whole scores, and editorial prefaces, downloadable? that's a thing for you. appreciated. much appreciated.  (... I'm guessing that they frown on redistribution even with full attribution and linking to the original page. There are a number of sites that have bots that will just grab and redistribute with no asking and no attribution anycase of any kind, as I well know, and in some cases charge people even for other stuff that's public-domain materials if they're fool enough to pay for it, but that's a tangent not related- sorry... )
My thanks for their hard work editing, and I know it is hard work...

[jani]

Unfortunately the prefaces are in Finnish only at the moment. Interesting thing is that 4th Symphony was performed in 1923 in Berlin. Orchestra in that performance was Berlin Philharmonic!

[atterbraga]

I too have discovered the joys of the Melartin symphonies, although I feel the Ondine recordings unsatisfactory. Does anyone know if any other conductor or record compamy has plans to record them? I am surprised the enterprising Mr Jarvi senior has never recorded them.

[eschiss1]

well, also, as I think noted above, the Ondine recs. of the symphonies are of cut versions for at least some of the 6- a performance of the 3rd symphony in a version much closer to the composer's intentions was broadcast (and can I think maybe still be found in our Downloads Archives). I hope all 6 of the symphonies will be recorded and released commercially using the new Melartin Society editions, though I doubt this would happen soon... (I even enjoy the Ondine symphony recordings a lot, for myself, and am sure enough that I'd enjoy such a set even more.)