Finland was long a possession of neighboring countries. There were no Finnish language schools until the 1870s when the first one opened, providentially, in the hometown of the Swedish-speaking Sibelius family, inspiring young Johan Christian Sibelius (the future Jean Sibelius) with patriotism for the land of his birth rather than of his ancestry.

Under Tsar Alexander III of Russia, encroachments on Finland's traditional liberties began. In 1898 the next Tsar, Nicholas II, appointed General N.I. Bobrikov as Governor-General of Finland. He began to institute repressive measures and proposed a monetary union with Russia, the institution of Russian as the official language, and a reduction of the power of the Finnish Senate.

When the newspaper Päivälehti opposed Bobrikov editorially, the Governor-General closed it. The "Young Finland" group of artists and musicians, including Sibelius, put together a "benefit concert" for its staff in the form of historical tableaux which were a thinly disguised appeal to a spirit of independence and nationalism. This eight-movement work is the music Sibelius wrote for the presentation, and lasts about 42 minutes.

The music is a bit looser and more Romantic than the tautly constructed masterworks of the composer's maturity, but they are highly individual and resonate with patriotic fervor. The movements are:

1. Preludio. This is a solemn introduction to the production, for winds and brass.

2. The second movement goes back to Finnish mythology. Väinämöinen, the magician-hero of the national epic, the Kalevala, is usually depicted as an old man, but in keeping with plans he had for an opera about this figure, Sibelius gives him youthful, energetic music in a movement called "Väinämöinen delights Nature and the peoples of Kaleva and Pohjola with his song" (Väinämöinen ilahduttaa laulallaan luontoa, Kalevan ja Poholan kansaa). Sibelius' music depicts not the song but the delighted feelings of those who hear it.

3. A rich, even somber, religious tone prevails in "The Finns are Baptized," (Suomen kansa tulee kristyksi), depicting the mission of Bishop Henrik, who became Finland's patron saint.

4. A rich and lighthearted "Scene from Duke Johan's Court" (Juhana-herttuan hovista) recalls the leadership (1550s) of that popular future Swedish king.

5. A gentle minuet is interrupted by fanfares and battle music showing "The Finns in the Thirty Years War" (Suommalaiset 30-vuotisessa sodassa) in 1618.

6. Finland's seizure by Russia is depicted as a tragedy in "The Great Hostility" (Isonvihan aikana), Finland's name for the Great Northern War (1710 - 1721) between Russia and Sweden.

7. Finland Awakes (Suomi heráá), is a call to national consciousness with scenes of nineteenth century Finnish patriots. Sibelius lightly revised this movement twice; the third version is the famous Finlandia, Op. 26.

Of the other movements, the "Duke Johan" music has one of those Finnish melodies using a mode (i.e., scale pattern) also used in Spanish music. So Sibelius revised it into a piece called Festivo, with the expression marking "Tempo di Bolero." Aside from the Preludio and the Hostility movement, the rest of the music was extensively revised as Scènes historiques, Op. 25.

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