Editing History of Finland (section)

===Music===
[[File:JSibelius 1915 atwork.jpg|thumb|[[Jean Sibelius]] at work in his study]]
Before 1790 music was found in Lutheran churches and in folk traditions.<ref>Ruth-Esther Hillila, and Barbara Blanchard, ''Historical Dictionary of the Music and Musicians of Finland'' (1997)</ref>  In 1790 music lovers founded the Åbo Musical Society; it gave the first major stimulus to serious music by Finnish composers.  In the 1880s, new institutions, especially the Helsinki Music Institute (since 1939 called the [[Sibelius Academy]]), the  Institute of Music of Helsinki University and the [[Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra]], integrated Finland into the mainstream of European music. By far the most influential composer was [[Jean Sibelius]] (1865–1957); he composed nearly all his music before 1930.<ref>Denby Richards, "Music in Finland," ''American-Scandinavian Review,'' 1968, Vol. 56 Issue 3, pp. 238–243</ref> In April 1892 Sibelius presented his new symphony ''Kullervo'' in Helsinki. It featured poetry from the ''Kalevala,'' and was celebrated by critics as truly Finnish music.<ref>Glenda Dawn Goss, "A Backdrop for Young Sibelius: The Intellectual Genesis of the Kullervo Symphony," ''19th Century Music,'' Summer 2003, Vol. 27 Issue 1, pp. 48–73</ref>