Finlandia / This Is My Song
© Richard Coffey - All Rights Reserved
Finnish Lapland
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This is My Song
words by Lloyd Stone
This is my song, Oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is;
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.
But other hearts in other lands are beating,
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.
My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.
But other lands have sunlight too and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
Oh hear my song, oh God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.
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Finlandia / This Is My Song
Finlandia, Op. 26, is a tone poem composed by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It was written in 1899 and revised in 1900. Most of the piece is taken up with rousing and turbulent music, evoking the national struggle of the Finnish people. Sibelius later reworked the Finlandia Hymn section into a stand-alone piece. This hymn is one of the most important national songs of Finland. It has been repeatedly suggested to be the official national anthem of Finland. Finlandia
Why is this song placed in the Nature Suite section?
Once you hear the lyrics it's clear that this wonderful music is a tribute to the beauty of nature and how we all should learn to peacefully share it together. It's a powerful message, sadly so spot on appropriate for today's world in seemingly endless conflict.
About the Arrangement
The harmonies for the four part trombone ensemble in the second stanza were lifted directly from the Methodist hymnal: see partial transcription (opens in new window) . What's special about this trombone ensemble recording is that I recently purchased an F trigger trombone (second hand) so I can finally get those low notes...
L: Blessing Model B-8
R: Blessing Model B-88 - Red Brass
Photo Credits
The bulk of the photos are photos of Finland gleaned from this wonderful website » ...with exception of this one which was contributed by Tom Sweet.
Jean Sibelius
Lloyd Stone