Kaj Oskar Chydenius (born 16 October 1939,

Kuusankoski Kuusankoski is a neighbourhood of city of Kouvola, former industrial town and municipality of Finland, located in the region of Kymenlaakso in the province of Southern Finland. The population of Kuusankoski was 20,392 (2003) and the total are ...

) is a Finnish composer, probably best known for his

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

political songs interpreted by various artists. Chydenius studied at the

Sibelius Academy The Sibelius Academy ( fi, Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia, sv, Sibelius-Akademin vid Konstuniversitetet) is part of the University of the Arts Helsinki and a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It ...

, the

University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the R ...

and the Helsinki School of Economics, starting his career with

avant-garde music Avant-garde music is music that is considered to be at the forefront of innovation in its field, with the term "avant-garde" implying a critique of existing aesthetic conventions, rejection of the status quo in favor of unique or original eleme ...

happening A happening is a performance, event, or situation art, usually as performance art. The term was first used by Allan Kaprow during the 1950s to describe a range of art-related events. History Origins Allan Kaprow first coined the term "happen ...

, instrumental theatre, and the aesthetics of

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading f ...

. Some of the best-known works by Chydenius are ''Lapualaisooppera'' (1966) and such songs as 'Sinua, sinua rakastan', 'Nuoruustango' and the children's song 'Magdaleena', which are all evergreens in Finland. Kaj Chydenius was one of the founding members of KOM-teatteri in 1971, together with

Kaisa Korhonen Kaisa Korhonen (born 20 July 1941) is a Finnish singer, actor, theatre director and writer. She was a central figure in the Finnish leftist music scene of the 60s and 70s, appearing both as a solo artist, and with KOM-teatteri. After her singing ...

who was his wife then. The younger son of Kaj Chydenius,

Jussi Chydenius Jussi Chydenius (born 30 December 1972) is a Finnish musician and composer. He is best known for singing bass in the vocal ensemble Rajaton. He is the son of composer Kaj Chydenius and director Kaisa Korhonen. His brother is music producer Kal ...

is a member of the vocal ensemble

Rajaton Rajaton is a Finnish a cappella ensemble, founded in Helsinki in 1997. The Finnish word ''rajaton'' means "boundless", to indicate the breadth of their repertoire, from sacred classical to near Europop. Rajaton performs primarily in Finland bu ...

. Many works by Chydenius are released on Love Records. Kaj Chydenius is related to Anders Chydenius (1729–1803), a Finnish Lutheran priest and a member of the Swedish

Riksdag The Riksdag (, ; also sv, riksdagen or ''Sveriges riksdag'' ) is the legislature and the supreme decision-making body of Sweden. Since 1971, the Riksdag has been a unicameral legislature with 349 members (), elected proportionally and se ...

; this was his great-great-uncle in the fifth generation.Kokkola Karleby Finland: Anders Chydenius
(in Finnish)

Selected discography

*''Lauluja'' (1966) *''Kauneimmat rakkauslaulut'' (1977) *''Unet palaavat Helsinkiin'' (1996)

References

1939 births Living people People from Kuusankoski Finnish composers Finnish male composers {{finland-composer-stub