The Jäger March
Encyclopedia
The Jäger March Op. 91a was composed by Jean Sibelius
in 1917 to the words written by the Finnish Jäger
, Hilfsgruppenführer Heikki Nurmio
who served in Libau
, in the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion of the Imperial German Army. This unit was fighting against the Russian Empire
, of which the Grand Duchy of Finland
still was a part of. The words were smuggled into Finland to Sibelius, who composed the song in Järvenpää
.
The Jäger March, a military march, was originally written for male chorus and piano, and Sibelius later arranged it for male chorus and symphony orchestra.
The first public performance of Jäger March was in Helsinki
January 19, 1918 by Akademiska sångföreningen
, led by Olof Wallin. The Finnish Civil War
began on the same day between the White and the Red troops. The march is the honorary march of many army detachments.
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
in 1917 to the words written by the Finnish Jäger
Finnish Jäger troops
The Jäger Movement were volunteers from Finland trained in Germany as Jägers during World War I. Supported by Germany to enable a Finnish sovereign state, it was one of many means by which Germany intended to weaken Russia and to cause Russia's loss of western provinces and...
, Hilfsgruppenführer Heikki Nurmio
Heikki Nurmio
Heikki Nurmio - Finnish jäger and writer. He is remembered for writing the lyrics for "Jääkärien marssi" composed by Jean Sibelius in 1917....
who served in Libau
Liepaja
Liepāja ; ), is a republican city in western Latvia, located on the Baltic Sea directly at 21°E. It is the largest city in the Kurzeme Region of Latvia, the third largest city in Latvia after Riga and Daugavpils and an important ice-free port...
, in the Royal Prussian 27th Jäger Battalion of the Imperial German Army. This unit was fighting against the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, of which the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
still was a part of. The words were smuggled into Finland to Sibelius, who composed the song in Järvenpää
Järvenpää
Järvenpää is a town and municipality of Finland.-History:Järvenpää was separated from its parent community Tuusula in 1951. Järvenpää was granted the status of a market town after the separation. Neighbouring districts Kellokoski and Nummenkylä were not added to the municipality of Järvenpää and...
.
The Jäger March, a military march, was originally written for male chorus and piano, and Sibelius later arranged it for male chorus and symphony orchestra.
The first public performance of Jäger March was in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
January 19, 1918 by Akademiska sångföreningen
Akademiska Sångföreningen
Akademiska Sångföreningen or in English The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki is a Finland-Swedish male voice student choir based in Helsinki, Finland...
, led by Olof Wallin. The Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
began on the same day between the White and the Red troops. The march is the honorary march of many army detachments.
External links
- marssi Lyrics
- Jääkärien marssi (sound clip, 28 seconds, 488 kB, MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
) presented by Pohjanmaan Sotilassoittokunta (PohjanmaaOstrobothnia (region)Ostrobothnia is a region of Finland. It is located in Western Finland. It borders the regions Central Ostrobothnia, Southern Ostrobothnia, and Satakunta and is one of the four regions making up the historical province of Ostrobothnia....
Military BandMilitary bandA military band originally was a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the title of Bandmaster or Director of Music...
) in the military music homepage of Finnish Defence ForcesFinnish Defence ForcesThe Finnish Defence Forces are responsible for the defence of Finland. It is a cadre army of 15,000, of which 8,900 are professional soldiers , extended with conscripts and reservists such that the standard readiness strength is 34,700 people in uniform... - Pushkin Quintett: The Jäger March — new version (YouTube)
- Jäger March on Youtube