Fredrik Pacius, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Fredrik Pacius

German composer, lived in Finland

Date of Birth: 19-Mar-1809

Place of Birth: Hamburg, Germany

Date of Death: 08-Jan-1891

Profession: composer, conductor, university teacher, music pedagogue

Nationality: Finland, Germany

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Fredrik Pacius (Finland Swedish: ['fre?drik 'p??si?s] (listen); born Friedrich Pacius; March 19, 1809 – January 8, 1891) was a German Finnish composer and conductor who lived most of his life in Finland.
He has been called the "Father of Finnish music". Pacius was born in Hamburg.
He was appointed music teacher at the University of Helsinki in 1834.
In Helsinki he founded a musical society, the student choir Akademiska Sångföreningen and an orchestra.
In 1848 Pacius wrote the music to the poem "Vårt land" by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, which was to become Finland's national anthem.
Pacius’s music was also used for the Estonian national anthem "Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" and the Livonian ethnic anthem "Min izamo, min sindimo". In 1852 he composed Kung Karls jakt (The Hunt of King Charles) which was the first Finnish opera, with a libretto in the style of Romantic nationalism, like the national anthem designed to convince Finland's grand duke (i.e.
the Russian Emperor Nicholas I) of the total loyalty of his subjects in Finland.
The libretto was written by the author and historian Zacharias Topelius in close collaboration with the composer. His compositions also include a violin concerto, a symphony, a string quartet and several other operas. Pacius died in Helsinki, aged 81.