Alex Robinson, Preparing for a Career in Opera writes ...
One of my favorite composers, Jean Sibelius, had an incredibly sad life.
This man has a national holiday in Finland on his birthday and his face on the 100 Mark note.
He played a part in Finland’s struggle with Russia during the early 20th century by giving Finland a true musical identity.
His life wasn’t as clean as his legacy.
3 Years Old:
Tragedy strikes for the first time. His father dies of Typhoid fever, leaving him and his mother with substantial debts.
35 Years Old:
Sibelius experiences the death of his beloved daughter Kirsti. He composes one of the saddest pieces of music ever written, melancholia.https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zLIzMAaXhg?enablejsapi=1&iv_load_policy=3&mute=1
39 Years Old:
Sibelius begins indulging himself in overly exorbitant living. He develops alcoholism to go along with his extreme depression.
39 Years Old:
Sibelius’ wife is driven to retire to a mental asylum due to exhaustion.
40 Years Old:
Sibelius nearly dies due to suspected Throat Cancer from his drinking and smoking. He composes his great comment on death and depression, The Fourth Symphony.https://www.youtube.com/embed/cCrGKQgFzDU?enablejsapi=1&iv_load_policy=3&mute=1
57 Years Old:
Sibelius’ brother dies, causing him to slip further into depression.
58 Years Old:
He virtually stops composing, his alcoholism and depression have become so ingrained he can’t write much worth writing anymore. He does manage to create one final masterpiece, Tapiola.https://www.youtube.com/embed/BiYYnsZz3IM?enablejsapi=1&iv_load_policy=3&mute=1
91 Years Old:
Sibelius dies, having lived a life filled with equal parts tragedy and genius.
