Academic Cantatas

The ''Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894'' (in Finnish: ; sometimes called the ''Promotional Cantata of 1894'' (in Finnish: ) for short), JS 105, is a three-movement cantata for soprano, baritone, mixed choir, and orchestra written in 1894 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. It is chronologically the first of Sibelius's nine orchestral cantatas, and belongs to a series of three such pieces—along with the '' Coronation Cantata'' (JS 104, 1896) and the '' Promotional Cantata of 1897'' (JS 106)—that he wrote on commission from his employer at the time, the Imperial Alexander University (today the University of Helsinki).

The cantata premiered on 31 May 1894 in Helsinki with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Orchestral Association and an amateur choir; the soloists were the Finnish soprano Aino Ackté and the Finnish baritone Abraham Ojanperä.

In 1896, Sibelius arranged the conclusion of Movement II as the ''Festive March'' () for mixed choir .

Instrumentation

The ''Promotional Cantata of 1894'' is scored for the following instruments and voices, organized by family ( vocalists, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

*Soprano, baritone, and mixed choir ()
*2 flutes, 1  oboe, 2 clarinets, and 1 bassoon
*2  horns, 2  trumpets, 3  trombones, and tuba
* Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, and triangle
* Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses

Structure

The ''Promotional Cantata of 1894'' is in three movements. They are:

Movement I is scored for mixed choir and orchestra, while Movement II adds to these forces solo parts for soprano and baritone. Finally, Movement III is for soprano and orchestra, although the solo part (which occurs during a brief, middle trio section) has not survived; however, according to the Sibelius biographer Andrew Barnett, "luckily the lack of a solo part does not render the piece unperformable s a movement for orchestra alone.

The cantata remains in manuscript, although will eventually be published as part of the ''Jean Sibelius Works'' (JSW) critical edition, an ongoing collaborative project between the National Library of Finland, Breitkopf & Härtel, and the Sibelius Society of Finland. (Begun in 1996, the series is projected at 52 volumes and will eventually cover all of Sibelius's completed original compositions and arrangements, including relevant JS-designated works.)

Discography

The Finnish conductor Leif Segerstam and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, joined by the Finnish Philharmonic Choir, made the world premiere studio recording of the first two movements of ''Cantata for the University Graduation Ceremonies of 1894'' in April 1999 for Ondine; the soloists were the Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski and the Finnish baritone . To date, the only other recording dates to August 2004; it is by the Finnish conductor Osmo Vänskä, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, and the , who recorded the piece for the Swedish label BIS Records. Importantly, Vänskä was the first to record what survives of Movement III (again, the soprano part is lost). The table below contains additional details about these two recordings:

In addition, the Finnish choral director Astrid Riska and the made the world premiere studio recording of the ''Festive March'' for mixed choir in the spring of 1992 for Ondine. The table below lists this and other commercially available recordings:

Notes, references, and sources

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Cantatas by Jean Sibelius
1894 compositions
Choral compositions