A Brief History of Finnish Wind Music - Suomen Puhallinorkesteriliitto

The history of Finnish wind music stretches from military bands and the brass septets of the 19th century to today’s symphonic wind orchestras, youth bands and diverse amateur music-making. Along the way, the wind orchestra has served as a provider of ceremonial music, a vehicle for public education, the heart of civic associations, and an independent ensemble for concert music.

European roots

The Harmoniemusik ensemble of the 18th century can be regarded as a predecessor of the modern wind orchestra. It usually consisted of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and horns. After the French Revolution, around the turn of the 19th century, there was a growing need for larger and more powerful ensembles for outdoor celebrations and public events. At the same time, music increasingly moved beyond courts and churches and became accessible to wider audiences. [1]

During the 19th century, wind instruments developed rapidly. Valve systems for brass instruments, new woodwind and brass instruments, and instruments such as the saxophone made an increasingly varied orchestral sound possible. Wind bands became important disseminators of music throughout Europe: before radio and recordings, bands in particular brought opera, orchestral music and other forms of art music to the wider public. [1]

From military bands to builders of Finnish musical life

The early development of wind music in Finland was closely connected with military music. During the period of Finnish autonomy, the organisation of the Finnish military changed several times, which meant that the activities of military bands were also periodically interrupted. The longest continuously operating unit was the Finnish Guard, which existed under various names from 1819 to 1905 and maintained its own band throughout its history. [2]

The importance of military bands extended far beyond the barracks. In many garrison towns, military musicians were among the few — sometimes the only — professional musicians, and they took an active part in local concerts and ceremonial life. Musicians from the Guard were involved, for example, in the first performance of the Finnish national anthem Maamme in 1848, and musicians from the Guard and the Naval Crew participated in the premiere of Fredrik Pacius’s opera Kung Carls jakt in Helsinki in 1852. [2]

Finnish musical life absorbed influences from several directions during the 19th century. Germany had a major impact on professional music and music education in Finland: before the 1890s, many of Finland’s leading musicians and musical figures had studied in Germany, and German-born orchestral musicians also worked in Finland. [1] Through military music, Finnish band culture was at the same time connected to the military music tradition of the Russian Empire. [2]

From the brass septet to a pastime for the whole nation

During the second half of the 19th century, wind music spread rapidly beyond the military. The growing civil society gave rise to fire brigades, workers’ associations, temperance societies, sports clubs and other organisations — and many of them established bands of their own. [2][3]

A distinctive feature of Finnish wind music was the brass septet. Adolf Leander, conductor of the Finnish Guard Band, and the band’s sergeant Antti Ahonen played key roles in developing the ensemble. Leander was also the first brass teacher at the Helsinki Music Institute, the predecessor of today’s Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. [2][3]

The septet proved to be a practical ensemble for smaller communities and newly established associations, and a substantial repertoire written for it spread throughout Finland. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Finnish wind music scene consisted almost entirely of brass septets and larger brass bands derived from them. [3]

Bands also became a form of musical activity that brought together people from different social groups. Wind music became closely linked with the growth of Finnish civic and associational life, and the influence of the brass septet continued to be felt in both instrumentation and repertoire well into the 20th century. [2][3]

Towards the modern wind orchestra

At the end of the period of autonomy, Finland’s national military forces were disbanded, but the band tradition did not disappear completely. One important bridge figure was conductor Alexei Apostol, who gathered former military musicians into the Helsinki Brass Band in the early 20th century. After Finland gained independence, Apostol became the Finnish Army’s first Chief Conductor in 1919. [2][3]

The military bands of independent Finland gradually developed from brass-dominated ensembles towards true wind orchestras. In 1926, military bands were ordered to adopt new instrumentations including woodwinds, brass and percussion. The reform also required systematic training for young military musicians. [3]

The old brass septet tradition nevertheless survived for a long time, especially in the amateur field. For decades, the repertoire of Finnish wind bands consisted largely of marches and arrangements of songs, dance music and orchestral repertoire made by conductors themselves. [4]

The 1970s – Finnish repertoire and SPOL

A significant change took place during the 1970s. The amount of original Finnish music for wind orchestra began to increase, and art-music composers also became interested in the ensemble. One of the key figures was Einojuhani Rautavaara. His works and those of other composers of the period were often demanding and did not yet reach amateur ensembles on a large scale, but a new body of Finnish wind orchestra repertoire had begun to emerge. [4]

At the same time, the Finnish wind orchestra field became more strongly organised at the national level. The Finnish Wind Band Association, Suomen Puhallinorkesteriliitto ry (SPOL), was founded in Tampere in 1977 to support Finnish wind music. [5]

The founding of the association coincided with a period of wider transformation in Finnish wind orchestra culture. In the decades that followed, instrumentation, education and repertoire all developed rapidly.

The 1980s – from the old septet tradition to a new sound

During the 1980s, this transformation became increasingly visible. The final traces of the old septet tradition began to give way to larger wind orchestras with broader and more varied sonorities. Ensembles expanded their instrumentation and sought new musical challenges. [4]

New Finnish music was deliberately written for youth and amateur ensembles as well. Composers such as Lasse Eerola, Harri Wessman, Atso Almila and Timo Katila sought to bring elements of modern musical language within reach of amateur musicians. [4]

One important testing ground was Puhkupillit, the wind orchestra of the University of Jyväskylä, which challenged young composers to write new, rhythmic wind music that would appeal to younger musicians. Music by Harri Mäntynen and by Jukka and Markku Viitasaari became an important part of this new Finnish wind orchestra repertoire. [4]

New original music also began to emerge within military bands. Timo Hytönen’s Sininen paraati, composed in the mid-1980s, for example, helped open the way for a more modern style of Finnish march music. [4]

The 1990s – a major transformation

The 1990s can be regarded as one of the major turning points in the history of Finnish wind music.

The high standard of Finnish music education began to show in ensembles: the level of amateur wind orchestras rose rapidly, and more and more groups became interested in symphonic wind orchestra repertoire. At the same time, youth band programmes increasingly incorporated elements of popular and rhythm music. The demand for new repertoire gave rise to an entirely new generation of composers writing works for ensembles ranging from beginners to highly advanced musicians. [4]

Military bands served as important regional partners for music schools and amateur orchestras. The Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces was founded in 1990, and the first Hamina Tattoo was held in the same year. The Conscript Band became an important meeting place for young wind players and future professional musicians. [4]

New amateur ensembles operating at a high artistic level were also founded. Helsinki Symphonic Winds, established in 1995, as well as symphonic wind orchestras in Seinäjoki and Lahti and the Tampere-based Pyynikin Puhaltajat, actively took up new Finnish repertoire and also recorded it. [4]

SPOL strengthened its position as the national specialist organisation for wind music. The association began publishing sheet music and collaborating with other music organisations. The first Puhallinpäivät wind music festival was organised in 1992, while wind orchestra competitions and educational activities also expanded. [4]

New Finnish music publishers were founded at the same time. Blosari, established in 1995, and 7ikko, established in 1998, specialised in publishing Finnish wind music and helped introduce new composers. [4]

During the 1990s, composers already widely recognised in Finnish musical life also began writing for wind orchestra. Aulis Sallinen composed Palace Rhapsody in 1996 and Kalevi Aho composed Tristia in 1999. Composers such as Jukka Linkola and Jukka-Pekka Lehto, meanwhile, built substantial catalogues of wind orchestra music that became established in the repertoire of both amateur and professional ensembles. [4]

From the 2000s to the international stage

Finnish wind orchestra culture continued to strengthen during the 2000s. An important step was taken in 2001, when the Sibelius Academy, in cooperation with the Finnish Defence Forces, launched a programme in wind orchestra conducting. Conductors graduating from the programme have since worked with both military and amateur orchestras. [4]

Also founded in 2001, Sisu Wind Orchestra brought together advanced amateurs, music students and professional musicians from across Finland. The orchestra also began actively commissioning new works from Finnish composers. [4]

Commissioning new music became an important part of Finnish wind orchestra culture more broadly. Military and amateur ensembles have commissioned works both from composers specialising in wind music and from composers working in other areas of art music. Composers who have written for wind orchestra include Atso Almila, Kalevi Aho, Paavo Heininen, Mikko Heiniö, Uljas Pulkkis, Olli Virtaperko, Sampo Haapamäki, Kirmo Lintinen, Jukka-Pekka Lehto, Timo Forsström and Jukka Viitasaari. [4]

The international visibility of Finnish wind music has also increased. Finnish works have received awards in international composition competitions and have been published by foreign publishers. Works by Jukka Viitasaari and Jukka-Pekka Lehto, for example, have enjoyed success in international composition competitions. [4]

The professional field has also undergone major structural changes. Reforms of the Finnish Defence Forces’ military bands culminated in the closure of seven bands in 2013, reducing the number of professional military bands from twelve to five. At the same time, the remaining ensembles were strengthened towards the instrumentation of full-scale symphonic wind orchestras. [4]

A living tradition continues

Finnish wind music has changed fundamentally over the course of more than two hundred years. From military bands grew the 19th-century brass band movement; the brass septet became a nationwide pastime; and over time this tradition developed into the modern wind orchestra combining woodwinds, brass and percussion.

Today, Finnish wind music thrives in many settings: professional bands, music schools, youth and amateur orchestras, project ensembles and smaller wind groups. Its repertoire ranges from marches and entertainment music to an extensive body of original concert works.

One thing, however, has remained constant throughout its history. In Finland, wind music has been exceptionally strongly rooted in community and shared music-making. It has been played in the military and in workers’ halls, in fire brigades and schools, in parks and concert halls. Professional musicians and amateurs have influenced one another side by side, while new generations of players have grown up in orchestras as part of a living musical tradition.

This is also the foundation for the future of Finnish wind music.

Sources

[1] Ruusuvuori, Sami: Puhallinmusiikin historia. Historical overview. The overview discusses the European development of the wind orchestra from Harmoniemusik to the modern symphonic wind orchestra, as well as topics including the influence of German musical culture on Finland. (PDF file, 467 kB)

[2] Suomalaisen sotilasmusiikin historiahanke: Autonomian aika: Torvisoittokuntien vuosisata Suomessa. Online article from the Finnish Military Music History Project, 2017.

[3] Suomalaisen sotilasmusiikin historiahanke: 1900–1926: Puupuhaltimet tulevat. Online article from the Finnish Military Music History Project, 2016.

[4] Laitinen, Kari: A Shape of Finns to come – Three decades or so of new Finnish wind band music. English translation by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi. Article on the development of Finnish wind orchestra music from the 1970s to the 2020s.

[5] Historical information from the Finnish Wind Band Association: Suomen Puhallinorkesteriliitto ry (SPOL) was founded in Tampere in 1977 to support Finnish wind music.