Threnody: In Memory of Jan Sibelius – All Classical Research

Still’s Threnody: In Memory of Jan Sibelius was completed in 1965 and represented one of the composer’s final scores.
- *A note on the spelling of “Jan” Sibelius – Still chose to use an Americanization of the Francophone (Jean) version of Sibelius’s given name, Johan.
Still wrote the piece memorializing Sibelius to convey the Finnish composer as the “universal idiom” and punctuate his influence on the progression of symphonic music in the 20th century.
Threnody was commissioned by Dr. Fabien Sevitzky for the University of Miami Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Sevitzky conducted the premiere in Miami in 1965, which coincided with the centennial of Sibelius’s birth.¹
In Threnody, Still follows Sibelius’s lead in incorporating national elements into late-romantic lyricism by using the Blues.²

Matthew Mendez, “Threnody: In Memory of Jan Sibelius,” Boston Symphony Orchestra, accessed February 7, 2023, https://www.bso.org/works/threnody-in-memory-of-jan-sibelius.
Carolyn Talarr, “Winter Concert Program Notes: William Grant Still: Threnody: In Memory of Jean Sibelius,” Portland Youth Philharmonic (2022), accessed February 7, 2023, https://portlandyouthphil.org/blog/blog/winter-concert-program-notes-william-grant-still-threnody-in-memory-of-jean-sibelius/835/.

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