American professor apparently alone in theories of Jean Sibelius’s Nazi connections
Helsingin Sanomat reads the proofs of the much-talked-about Sibelius book
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By Vesa Sirén
Who would have thought that a collection of articles that primarily draws on the fruits of the 2005 Sibelius Conference would become a news item in its own right?
Still, this is exactly what has happened. A volume entitled Sibelius in the New and Old World, edited by Timothy L. Jackson, Veijo Murtomäki, Colin Davis, and Timo Virtanen contains an article entitled Sibelius the Political by Timothy L. Jackson, professor of music at the University of North Texas.
Jackson accuses the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) of aiding and abetting the German Nazis while on their payroll.
In December of last year, Jackson accused Sibelius of still graver deeds. Jackson’s claims were quoted widely at the time, even by the Finnish tabloids for whom Sibelius matters are not really the usual fare.
Helsingin Sanomat has now come by a copy of the proofs of the soon-to-be published book.
In it Jackson stands alone with his opinions.
The remaining researchers whose articles have been included in the compilation concentrate in their musicological musings on less controversial subjects such as Sibelius’s 3rd Symphony or the critical edition of his tone poem for orchestra "The Wood Nymph" (Skogsrået), Op. 15 (1894).
In his attempt to prove that the Finnish maestro was indeed “political”, Jackson refers to a “test case” that allegedly reveals Sibelius’s attitude towards the German Nazi administration in the years from 1933-1945.
For such a test case, Jackson uses Sibelius’s correspondence with the German composer Günther Raphael.
In a polite letter written in the early 1930s, Sibelius promised to always act as a referee for composer Raphael.
However, after the Nazis had come to power in Germany in 1933 and a troubled Raphael, who was part Jewish, requested a letter of reference from Sibelius in order to keep his job, Sibelius declined.
Jackson senses political motives in Sibelius’s change of heart, but is one example enough?
Jackson could examine hundreds of other reference requests from the Finnish archives.
Veijo Murtomäki quickly found a reference letter that Sibelius had issued to the Finnish Jewish conductor Simon Parmet.
And of course the composer also issued a similar letter to conductor Helmuth Thierfelder, favoured by the Nazis.
In fact Sibelius dished out references uninhibitedly, to the point where the requests and their replies make for a rather boring read.
Between 1930 and 1950, the already ageing composer complained repeatedly that he had been too generous with issuing reference letters.
At times he would put a stop to writing them altogether, but sooner or later he would give in to yet another request.
The matter is mentioned in secretary Santeri Levas’s Sibelius biography and in the memoirs of Sibelius's son-in-law, conductor Jussi Jalas (1908-1985). Perhaps mood swings played a greater part than politics when it came to issuing letters of reference.
Nevertheless, Jackson tells a heart-rending story of Raphael’s sufferings and survival. As it happens, even after the war, Raphael and Sibelius would write to each other in a very cordial manner.
Jackson points out that in 1934, Sibelius agreed to become the Vice-Chairman of the Ständiger Rat für die Internationale Zusammenarbeit der Komponisten.
Composer Richard Strauss was the Chairman of this permanent council of composers, which was a part of the Reichsmusikkammer.
In turn the Reichsmusikkammer promoted the music that chimed with the views of the Nazi regime, while suppressing the music that conflicted with them.
The overture from the council was, however, a mere nod of recognition.
Sibelius did not take part in the organisation’s activities.
Nevertheless, because the Ständiger Rat later proved a Nazi propaganda tool, this provides Jackson with ammunition against Sibelius.
In 1935, Sibelius turned 70, and he received accolades from all over the world.
Jackson chooses to mention only the German ones - the Brahms Medal from Hamburg and the Goethe Medal from none other than Adolf Hitler.
In 1942 Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Joseph Goebbels founded a Sibelius Society in Germany “following a Finnish request”, and Sibelius’s famous radio greeting was aired.
According to Jackson, in Finland this was considered “an enormously important political occurrence”.
He mentions this already on the first page of his article, without bothering to shed any light on background information concerning Finland’s undertakings in the Winter War (1939-40) and the Continuation War (1941-44).*
Jackson is not interested in Sibelius Societies in other countries or in Sibelius’s reaction to them - in Britain the Sibelius Society was in full swing already a full decade earlier.
Jackson looks into Sibelius’s income from Germany. Sibelius became popular in Germany in the 1930s, but at the same time he became even more popular in the United States and the United Kingdom, a fact that Jackson fails to address.
According to Jackson, Sibelius obtained so much income from Germany that this may have affected his sayings, especially during the years of the Continuation War, during which time Sibelius’s copyright income was frozen in the Allied Powers.
Jackson reckons that Sibelius had a preferential standing when it came to copyright and pension payments.
What is certainly true is that income was distributed on a false basis, for example by oppressing the Jews, and that in this way Sibelius was in fact receiving blood money that he could have refused.
This is an interesting moral dilemma, and touches on one of the painful spots of 20th century Finnish history.
A counter-argument could be that leaving the copyright income in Germany would have benefited the Nazis even more. On the other hand, refusing to accept the payments would have been a strong propaganda slap against the Nazi regime.
Jackson fails to mention that Sibelius had disputes with the German copyright officials from the start of the Third Reich. This is evident in the correspondence that I have studied.
Sibelius wrote irritated complaints about the payments traffic, which were replied to by the officials with excuses and “Heil Hitler” greetings.
Sibelius’s salutation was a most reserved one: "mit vorzüglicher Hochachtung".
Jackson does point out that in his journal in the 1940s Sibelius laments the absurdity of the race laws of the Nazis.
Jackson does not read Finnish or Swedish, but has had some excerpts of translations at his disposal.
Jackson comes up with the theory according to which Sibelius's possible preferential treatment could have been in jeopardy had he not agreed to fill in a humiliating form regarding his bloodline.
Jackson suspects that the composer filled in the form, because he rejoiced over a “good letter” that he had received from the copyright organisation.
This theory, however, is called into question by a letter dating back to September 15th, 1943, which Fabian Dahlström mentions in his book and which researcher Timo Virtanen has again dug out from the National Library.
In it, the Germans apologise for their labour shortage and the subsequent delays in the payment of the copyright fees and ask Sibelius for an official proof of citizenship (Staatsangehörigkeit) requested by the tax department (Finanzamt), for the purpose of releasing him from certain taxes, and nothing more.
So, additional evidence might be in order.
Would it be a good idea to actually first study the related correspondence before coming up with theories?
But let us not get bogged down in details and nuances.
With regard to the relationship between Finland and Germany, there is definitely plenty to ponder.
And perhaps even with regard to Sibelius's part in it, even though the elderly composer had made his last journey abroad in 1932 and completed all of his major works before the year 1930.
Sibelius mainly received information about the Nazis by reading the papers with his cataract-wracked eyes, by listening to the radio, and by chatting with those close to him, according to whom he was suspicious of the Nazis right from the outset - unlike his wife Aino Sibelius.
At least in the early stages of the Reich, Aino believed in the Hitler-friendly writings published by the Finnish daily newspaper Uusi Suomi.
What about the conclusions? In Jackson’s view, Sibelius behaved like so many other composers of the time.
He is astonished, however, that Sibelius was "on the Nazi payroll” for so long and that he “helped them so openly”.
It is easy to present counter-arguments, but this is not enough.
One needs scientific articles to either prove or disprove Jackson’s ideas in a more detailed manner.
Or should we first wait for Jackson’s next and possibly even more cutting article?
Perhaps with a working title like “Sibelius and the SS”?
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 21.5.2010
*Translator's Note: It may be worth noting that by the time Sibelius went on the air and commented on the common destiny of the two countries, Finland was a co-belligerent with Germany in an attempt to wrest back from the Soviet Union the territory ceded after the Winter War.
Equally, it is probably of note that despite that awkward marriage of convenience with Nazi Germany, at no time did Finland have a "Jewish Question" as such: in one of the more curious footnotes to the Second World War, Finnish Jews fought in the Continuation War in the Finnish Army alongside German troops (there was even a field synagogue on the Eastern Front), and some were indeed awarded decorations for valour by the Germans. They politely refused them.
More on this subject:
 COMMENT: Could be done better
Previously in HS International Edition:
"The music of Sibelius has been turned into a stomping ground of racism and nationalism" (3.5.2005)
Theodor Adorno vs. Jean Sibelius - seconds out for the final round? (24.10.2000)
Questions raised about possible Nazi contacts of Jean Sibelius (4.12.2009)
Links:
Jean Sibelius website
Jean Sibelius (Wikipedia)
VESA SIRÉN / Helsingin Sanomat
vesa.siren@hs.fi
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| 25.5.2010 - THIS WEEK |
American professor apparently alone in theories of Jean Sibelius’s Nazi connections
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