Opera Orchestra's Chamber Series: Brass Septet

Finnish military music at the Opera - with coffee and cookie!

Brass music has in many countries been used in the defense both to give a signal and as steady rhythms the soldiers could march to. In this concert you will hear Finnish military music.

Both Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland have several hundred years of tradition with this, and in addition this use of music was supposed to be an education in art. From approx. 1880 and until the Second World War 1940 this was common.

The composition of the group varied slightly. Norway mostly used pure brass sextet/octet, and the Swedes used brass sextet and octet with two clarinets and one flute. The Finnish tradition was seven brass musicians, ace trumpet, two Bb trumpets/cornets, alto horn, tenor horn, baritone/euphonium and tuba. Percussion was never mentioned in the group, they were just there to "spice up" the music.

Sibelius wrote the original music for this ensemble, as did the Finnish-Swedish conductor and composer Armas Järnfelt, and Leevi Madetoja, who all lived around the same time.