As in the German-speaking countries, the male-voice choir had a great vogue in Scandinavia and, consequently, Finland in the last part of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, Jean Sibelius, who had become the musical voice of Finland's bid for independence, was drawn to the potential of this medium. The Opus 18 Partsongs are typical, coming from the same period which saw the creation of the ultra-patriotic Finlandia (its best-known theme made into numerous choral arrangements, including one for male voices).

The Opus 18 Partsongs for male choir are wide-ranging in mood and musical technique. There are in Finnish, and it is no coincidence that they hail from a time when Tsarist Russia was bent on making Russian the official language of the oppressed nation. Isanmaale (To my Fatherland) taps the same sentiments as the contemporary Finlandia but is musically more sophisticated; as a young student in Vienna Sibelius had attended Bruckner performances and it is here that other master's influence in male chorus writing may be felt. Other songs draw on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. "Hail, Moon" conjures up imagery of primeval worship of the heavens, extended unison chants and parallel motion evoking runic ritual. Although not from the same source but set to text similar in style, "Broken Voice" is perhaps the most daring of the set in its use of quintuple meter, expressive dynamics and dissonance to denote emotional and physical pain. Two songs in the set use texts by the Finnish national poet, Aleksis Kivi. "Song of the Woodsman" tells of seven brothers who seek refuge from drudgery in the realm of Tapio, the Forest God. But more significant perhaps is "My Heart's Song." Here the eulogy of a grieving parent carrying his child to the bier is supported by brooding stoicism, a lifelong familiar mood of the composer. Sibelius may have been drawn to this text having lost his young daughter, Kirsti, some time before. By contrast, "Fire on the Island" is a pleasant Nordic idyll, the hero happily preparing for a torch-lit journey to fetch his betrothed, the welcome warmth of flame depicted by flickering chords of the sixth. The songs in this set are eloquent proof that Sibelius was as adept at producing novel and vivid effects in the choral idiom as he was in that of the orchestra.

© Wayne Reisig, All Music Guide