Heino Kaski was a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 composer and pianist

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

Kaski was born in Pielisjärvi

Lieksa

Lieksa is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the North Karelia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water...

 into a cantor

Cantor (church)

A cantor is the chief singer employed in a church with responsibilities for the ecclesiastical choir; also called the precentor....

's family. His father taught him the violin

Violin

The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....

, and was generally supportive: when Kaski dropped out of secondary school to study music full-time 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...

, he did not object. Kaski first studied at the Helsinki Cantor-Organist school, then entered the Philharmonic's Orchestra School. There, he continued studying the violin, but was also tutored in theory (by Ilmari Krohn) and composition (by Erkki Melartin

Erkki Melartin

Erkki Melartin was a Finnish composer and pupil of Martin Wegelius from 1892-99 in Helsinki, and Robert Fuchs from 1899-1901 in Vienna. He shares identical birth and death years with the composer Maurice Ravel....

).

In 1911, on Jean Sibelius

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."...

' recommendation, Kaski received a grant that enabled him to study for four years in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, under Paul Juon

Paul Juon

Paul Juon was a Germanised Russian composerHe was born in Moscow, where his father was an insurance official. His mother was German, and he went to a German school in Moscow. He entered the Moscow Conservatory in 1889, where he studied violin with Jan Hřímalý and composition with Anton Arensky...

. In 1914 he returned to Finland; one of his larger works, Symphony in B minor, was composed in 1914–1919 under partial guidance from Selim Palmgren

Selim Palmgren

Selim Gustaf Adolf Palmgren , dubbed "The Finnish Chopin", was a Finnish composer, pianist, and conductor. Palmgren was born in Pori, Finland, February 16, 1878. He studied at the Conservatory in Helsinki from 1895 to 1899, then continued his piano studies in Berlin with Ansorge, Berger and Busoni...

. The symphony was performed on October 2, 1919. The same year, Kaski went to Europe again, to study under Otto Taubman in Berlin, and then travelled and studied in Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

. He finally returned to Finland in 1924, and since then worked as music teacher in various schools. He gave nine composition concerts and in 1950 was awarded the Pro Finlandia medal. On 20 September 1957, aged 72, Kaski died in Helsinki. His death was overshadowed by that of Jean Sibelius, who died the same day, at the age of 91.

Kaski is best known for his piano miniatures, in which he displays a natural gift for melody, and his songs, although he also authored numerous chamber works, four orchestral suites, and many other pieces.

Selected works

• Impromptu, for piano, op. 5/2
• Prelude in G-flat major, op. 7
• Symphony in B minor, op. 16 (1919)
• Reverie, for piano, op. 19/1
• Die Quellenymphe, for piano, op. 19/2
• Syysaamu (An Autumn Morning), for piano, op. 21/2
• Kevätaamu Caprilla (A Spring Morning at Capri), for piano, op. 25/3
• Violin Sonata (1920)
• Cello Sonata (1923)
• Yö meren rannalla (Night by the Sea), for piano, op. 34/1
• Piano Pieces op. 48:
• Pankakoski (Prelude in B minor), for piano, op. 48/1
• Vanha kellotapuli, for piano, op. 48/2
• Walamo, for piano, op. 48/3
• Flute Sonata in B major, op. 51 (1937)
• Four orchestral suites, symphonic poem, chamber works, about a hundred songs and a similar amount of solo piano music.

External links