SIBELIUS, JEAN (, Hämeenlinna–, Järvenpää), greatest Finnish composer of symphonies and symphonic poems.
Sibelius was the son of a military doctor stationed in Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus in Swedish), with forebears in the Swedish-speaking coastal region east of Helsinki. His father's family included an unmarried sister who enjoyed the piano, a brother in Turku who dabbled in astronomy, violin playing, and composing, and another brother, Janne, a sea captain who died before his...