Joonas Kokkonen
Encyclopedia
Joonas Kokkonen (November 13, 1921 – October 1 or 2, 1996) was a Finnish
composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius
; his opera
The Last Temptations
has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.
, Finland, but spent most of his life in Järvenpää
at his home, which was known as "Villa Kokkonen". He served in the Finnish army during World War II with great distinction. He received his education at the University of Helsinki
, and later at the Sibelius Academy
, where he afterwards taught composition; his students there included Aulis Sallinen
. In addition to his activities as a composer, he made a significant and powerful impact on Finnish cultural life, serving as a chairman and organizer, heading organizations such as Society of Finnish Composers, the Board of the Concert Centre, and others. His purpose was always to improve music education, as well as the status and appreciation of classical music as well as Finnish music. In the 1960s and early 1970s he won numerous prizes for his work. He was appointed to the prestigious Finnish Academy
upon the death of Uuno Klami
. His composition activity slowed down greatly after the death of his wife and increased alcohol consumption. He had long planned a Fifth Symphony but it died with him.
The date of his death has been variously reported as October 1, 1996 (New Grove Dictionary, and various internet sources); October 2, 1996 (many internet sources, including the Finnish Music Center); and October 20, 1996 (New Grove Dictionary of Opera).
early style from 1948 to 1958, a relatively short middle period twelve-tone style from 1959 to 1966, and a late "neo-Romantic" style of free tonality
which also used aspects of his earlier style periods, which began in 1967 and lasted for the rest of his life.
Most of his early music is chamber music
, and includes a Piano Trio
and a Piano Quintet
; the style is contrapuntal
and influenced by Bartók
, but looks back to Renaissance
and Baroque
models as well. In the second style period he wrote the first two of his four symphonies
. Although he used twelve-tone technique, he avoided orthodoxy by occasionally using triads and octaves; he also liked to use the row melodically, giving the successive pitches in the same tone color (many other composers of 12-tone music split the row between different voices).
In the third style period Kokkonen wrote the music that made him internationally famous: the last two symphonies, the ...durch einen Spiegel for twelve solo strings, the Requiem
, and the opera The Last Temptations
(1975) (Viimeiset kiusaukset), based on the life and death of the Finnish Revivalist preacher Paavo Ruotsalainen
. The opera is punctuated with chorales which refer back to Johann Sebastian Bach
, and which are also reminiscent of the African-American spirituals used for a similar purpose in Michael Tippett
's oratorio A Child of Our Time
. The opera was staged at the Metropolitan Opera
in New York
in 1983.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
composer. He was one of the most internationally famous Finnish composers of the 20th century after Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
; his opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
The Last Temptations
The Last Temptations
The Last Temptations is an opera in two acts by Joonas Kokkonen to a libretto by Lauri Kokkonen. Along with Leevi Madetoja's Pohjalaisia and Aarre Merikanto's Juha, it is considered one of the most important Finnish operas. The opera deals with the life of the late eighteenth- and early...
has received over 500 performances worldwide, and is considered by many to be Finland's most distinguished national opera.
Life
He was born in IisalmiIisalmi
Iisalmi is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, Finland, but spent most of his life in Järvenpää
Järvenpää
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
at his home, which was known as "Villa Kokkonen". He served in the Finnish army during World War II with great distinction. He received his education at the University of Helsinki
University of Helsinki
The University of Helsinki is a university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but was founded in the city of Turku in 1640 as The Royal Academy of Turku, at that time part of the Swedish Empire. It is the oldest and largest university in Finland with the widest range of disciplines available...
, and later at the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
, where he afterwards taught composition; his students there included Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen
Aulis Sallinen is a Finnish contemporary classical music composer. He writes in a modern, though tonal and not experimental music style. He studied at the Sibelius Academy, where his teachers included Joonas Kokkonen...
. In addition to his activities as a composer, he made a significant and powerful impact on Finnish cultural life, serving as a chairman and organizer, heading organizations such as Society of Finnish Composers, the Board of the Concert Centre, and others. His purpose was always to improve music education, as well as the status and appreciation of classical music as well as Finnish music. In the 1960s and early 1970s he won numerous prizes for his work. He was appointed to the prestigious Finnish Academy
Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is a Finnish learned society. It was founded in 1908 as a Finnish-language counterpart of the Swedish-language Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, which had existed since 1838.- Members :The academy has a total of 328 seats for Finnish members...
upon the death of Uuno Klami
Uuno Klami
Uuno Klami was a Finnish composer. He was born in Virolahti. Many of his works are related to the Kalevala. He was also influenced by French music, in particularly by Maurice Ravel and the group Les Six...
. His composition activity slowed down greatly after the death of his wife and increased alcohol consumption. He had long planned a Fifth Symphony but it died with him.
The date of his death has been variously reported as October 1, 1996 (New Grove Dictionary, and various internet sources); October 2, 1996 (many internet sources, including the Finnish Music Center); and October 20, 1996 (New Grove Dictionary of Opera).
Music and influence
Even though he studied at the Sibelius Academy, he was mainly self-learned in composition. Usually his compositions are divided into three style periods: a neo-classicalNeoclassicism (music)
Neoclassicism in music was a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint...
early style from 1948 to 1958, a relatively short middle period twelve-tone style from 1959 to 1966, and a late "neo-Romantic" style of free tonality
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
which also used aspects of his earlier style periods, which began in 1967 and lasted for the rest of his life.
Most of his early music is chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
, and includes a Piano Trio
Piano trio
A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music...
and a Piano Quintet
Piano quintet
In European classical music, a piano quintet is a work of chamber music written for piano and four other instruments, most commonly piano, two violins, viola, and cello . Among the most frequently performed piano quintets are those by Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Antonín Dvořák...
; the style is contrapuntal
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
and influenced by Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
, but looks back to Renaissance
Renaissance music
Renaissance music is European music written during the Renaissance. Defining the beginning of the musical era is difficult, given that its defining characteristics were adopted only gradually; musicologists have placed its beginnings from as early as 1300 to as late as the 1470s.Literally meaning...
and Baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
models as well. In the second style period he wrote the first two of his four symphonies
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
. Although he used twelve-tone technique, he avoided orthodoxy by occasionally using triads and octaves; he also liked to use the row melodically, giving the successive pitches in the same tone color (many other composers of 12-tone music split the row between different voices).
In the third style period Kokkonen wrote the music that made him internationally famous: the last two symphonies, the ...durch einen Spiegel for twelve solo strings, the Requiem
Requiem
A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead or Mass of the dead , is a Mass celebrated for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, using a particular form of the Roman Missal...
, and the opera The Last Temptations
The Last Temptations
The Last Temptations is an opera in two acts by Joonas Kokkonen to a libretto by Lauri Kokkonen. Along with Leevi Madetoja's Pohjalaisia and Aarre Merikanto's Juha, it is considered one of the most important Finnish operas. The opera deals with the life of the late eighteenth- and early...
(1975) (Viimeiset kiusaukset), based on the life and death of the Finnish Revivalist preacher Paavo Ruotsalainen
Paavo Ruotsalainen
Paavo Ruotsalainen was a Finnish farmer and lay preacher.Born in Tölvänniemi as the oldest son of plain farmers, he received his first bible at age six. At the time of his confirmation he had already read it three times. His preoccupation with the words of the bible gained him the nickname...
. The opera is punctuated with chorales which refer back to Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, and which are also reminiscent of the African-American spirituals used for a similar purpose in Michael Tippett
Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
's oratorio A Child of Our Time
A Child of Our Time
A Child of Our Time is an oratorio written by Michael Tippett between 1939 and 1941."After more than ten years of thoughtful planning, Michael Tippett summed up his musical, political, spiritual and philosophical beliefs in his first oratorio, A Child of Our Time...
. The opera was staged at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1983.
Orchestral
- Music for String Orchestra (1957)
- Symphony No. 1 [1960)
- Symphony No. 2 (1960-61)
- Opus Sonorum (1964)
- Symphony No. 3 (1967)
- Symphonic Sketches (1968)
- Symphony No. 4 (1971)
- Inauguratio (1971)
- "...durch einem Spiegel" (1977)
- Il passagio (1987)
- Symphony No. 5, unfinished (1982-96?)
Chamber
- Piano Trio (1948)
- Piano Quintet (1951-53)
- Duo for violin & piano (1955)
- String Quartet No. 1 (1959)
- Sinfonia da camera (1961-62)
- String Quartet No. 2(1966)
- Wind Quintet (1973)
- Sonata for Cello & Piano (1975-76)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1976)
- Improvisazione for violin & piano (1982)
Piano
- Impromptu for piano (1938)
- Pielavesi Suite for piano (1939)
- Two Small Preludes for piano (1943)
- Sonatina for piano (1953)
- Religioso for piano (1956)
- Bagatelles for piano (1969)
Organ
- Lux aeterna for organ (1974)
- Haasoitto for organ
- Luxta Crucem for organ
- Surusoitto (Funeral Music) for organ
Vocal
- Three Songs to Poems by Einari Vuorela (1947)
- Illat Song Cycle (1955)
- Three Children's Christmas Songs (1956-58)
- Hades of the Birds Song Cycle for Soprano & Orchestra (1959)
- Two Monologues from "The Last Temptations" for bass & orchestra (1975)
Choral
- Missa a capella (1963)
- Laudatio Domini (1966)
- Erekhteion, academic cantata (1970)
- Ukko-Paavon Virsi for chorus (1978)
- Requiem (1979-81)
- "With his fingers Vainamoinen played" for male chorus (1985)