# Biography of Sibelius



## Guest (Dec 7, 2019)

Can anyone recommend a biography that balances an examination of his life and of his music?


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Ive got a really old out of print biography which would do the trick, byt I cannot find a copy of it online anywhere! The others I have or have read do tend to be very music-heavy, probably not what you're after, and they make for somewhat stodgy reading.

However, this one does get a balance between the music itself, the man's life, and the world he lived in, it's not cheap (see Amazon as a guide) but might be just what you're after?


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I don't know the biography that CnC Bartok recommends, but am interested in reading it.

I'd suggest that you additionally look into Robert Layton's English translation of Erik Tawaststjerna's biography of Sibelius, published by Faber & Faber in 3 volumes (though it may also be available in Finnish & Swedish--in 5 volumes, if you read those languages). The author was given full access to Sibelius' diaries & letters, and interviewed the composer's widow.

Volume 1 covers the years 1865 to 1905:https://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-I-1...words=sibelius&qid=1575735408&s=books&sr=1-25

Volume 2 covers the years 1904-1914: https://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-II-...FRST9PQ2GRD&psc=1&refRID=R9YBMDZY5FRST9PQ2GRD

& Volume 3 covers the years 1914-1957: https://www.amazon.com/Sibelius-III...GHYNBNKTMDW&psc=1&refRID=SFC974FNHGHYNBNKTMDW


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