Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 S… Read Full Bio ↴Jean Sibelius, born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius (8 December 1865 – 20 September 1957), was a Finnish composer and violinist of the late Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as his country's greatest composer and, through his music, is often credited with having helped Finland to develop a national identity during its struggle for independence from Russia.

The core of his oeuvre is his set of seven symphonies, which, like his other major works, are regularly performed and recorded in his home country and internationally. His other best-known compositions are Finlandia, the Karelia Suite, Valse triste, the Violin Concerto, the choral symphony Kullervo, and The Swan of Tuonela (from the Lemminkäinen Suite). Other works include pieces inspired by nature, Nordic mythology, and the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, over a hundred songs for voice and piano, incidental music for numerous plays, the opera Jungfrun i tornet (The Maiden in the Tower), chamber music, piano music, Masonic ritual music, and 21 publications of choral music.

Sibelius composed prolifically until the mid-1920s, but after completing his Seventh Symphony (1924), the incidental music for The Tempest (1926) and the tone poem Tapiola (1926), he stopped producing major works in his last thirty years, a stunning and perplexing decline commonly referred to as "The Silence of Järvenpää", the location of his home. Although he is reputed to have stopped composing, he attempted to continue writing, including abortive efforts on an eighth symphony. In later life, he wrote Masonic music and re-edited some earlier works while retaining an active but not always favourable interest in new developments in music.

The Finnish 100 mark note featured his image until 2002, when the euro was adopted.[4] Since 2011, Finland has celebrated a Flag Day on 8 December, the composer's birthday, also known as the "Day of Finnish Music". In 2015, the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth, a number of special concerts and events were held, especially in the city of Helsinki.

Var det et dröm
Jean Sibelius Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Var det en dröm att ljuvt en gång
Jag var ditt hjärtas vän
Jag minns det som en tystnad sång
Då strängen darrar än

Jag minns en törnros av dig skänkt
En blick så blyg och öm
Jag minns en avskedstår som blänkt

Var allt var allt en dröm

En dröm lik sippans liv så kort
Uti en vårgrön ängd
Vars fägring hastigt vissnar bort
För nya blommors mängd

Men mången natt jag hör en röst
Vid bittra tårars ström

Göm djupt dess minne i ditt bröst
Det var din bästa dröm

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jean Sibelius's song Var det en dröm express a nostalgia for a past love that the singer remembers fondly. The first few lines suggest that the singer wonders if it was all just a dream that they were once close to this person who held their heart. The line "Då strängen darrar än" means "when the string still trembles," perhaps indicating that the emotions of the memory are still felt strongly.

The singer then mentions a gift of a "törnros" or thorn rose, and a shy and gentle gaze from their beloved. They also remember a tear shed at their parting, ending in the realization that it all may have been a dream. The image of a dream is compared to the fleeting life of a wildflower, which blooms and fades quickly in the springtime.

The final lines suggest that the memory of this love still haunts the singer at night, and they advise themselves to keep the memory deep in their heart, as it was their best dream. The song is a poignant reflection on the transience of love and the power of memories to endure despite time and distance.

Line by Line Meaning

Var det en dröm att ljuvt en gång
Was it a dream that once sweetly,

Jag var ditt hjärtas vän
I was a friend of your heart,

Jag minns det som en tystnad sång
I remember it like a silent song,

Då strängen darrar än
When the string still trembles.

Jag minns en törnros av dig skänkt
I remember a rose you gave me,

En blick så blyg och öm
A gaze so shy and tender,

Jag minns en avskedstår som blänkt
I remember a farewell tear that shimmered,

Var allt var allt en dröm
Whether everything was just a dream.

En dröm lik sippans liv så kort
A dream like the life of a cowslip so short,

Uti en vårgrön ängd
In a spring green meadow,

Vars fägring hastigt vissnar bort
Whose beauty quickly fades away,