View source for Fredrik Pacius

{{Short description|German composer, lived in Finland}}
{{no footnotes|date=February 2013}}
[[File:Pacius.jpg|thumb|upright|Fredrik Pacius]]
'''Fredrik Pacius''' ({{IPA|fi|ˈfreːdrik ˈpɑːsius}}, {{IPA|sv-FI|ˈfreːdrik ˈpɑːsiʉs|lang|Sv-Fredrik_Pacius.ogg}}); in German and in Estonian '''Friedrich Pacius'''; 19 March 1809 – 8 January 1891)<ref>{{BLF|1441|Fredrik Pacius}}</ref> 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 "{{lang|sv|[[Maamme|Vårt land]]}}" by [[Johan Ludvig Runeberg]], which was to become commonly accepted as Finland's [[national anthem]]. The same melody  was also used for the [[Estonia]]n national anthem "[[Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm]]" and the [[Livonia]]n ethnic anthem "[[Min izāmō, min sindimō]]".

In 1852, he composed ''[[Kung Karls jakt]]'' (English: ''King Charles' Hunt''; Finnish: ''Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys''), 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 Russia|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 Pacius.

His compositions also include a [[violin concerto]], a [[symphony]], a [[string quartet]] and several other operas.

Pacius died in Helsinki, aged 81.

== Works ==
* Orchestral
** Symphony in D minor (1850)
** Overture in E-flat major (1826)
** Violin Concerto in F-sharp minor (1845)
* Vocal music
** ''[[Kung Karls jakt]]'' (''Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys'', "King Carl's Hunt"), opera (1852)
** ''[[Prinsessan av Cypern (Pacius)|Prinsessan av Cypern]]'', [[Singspiel]] (1860)
** ''Die Loreley'', opera (1862–87)
** Cantatas
** Choruses
** Lieder
* [[Chamber music]]
** String Quartet in E-flat major (1826)

== Literature ==
*[[Tomi Mäkelä]], ''Friedrich Pacius – ein deutscher Komponist in Finnland: mit einer Edition der Tagebücher, Briefe und Arbeitsmaterialien von Silke Bruns'', Hildesheim; Zürich [etc.]: Olms; Helsinki: Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland, 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-487-15123-6}}
*[[Tomi Mäkelä]], ''Fredrik Pacius, kompositör i Finland'', Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland, Helsinki 2009; {{ISBN|978-951-583-192-7}}
*[[Tomi Mäkelä]], Der Pionier. Fredrik Pacius, ''[[Opernwelt]]'', 11, 2009, 36–44.

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Fredrik Pacius}}
*{{FAG}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071010061033/http://www.fimic.fi/fimic/fimic.nsf/mainframe?readform&CD84D3E8EA030D05C22567F400403499 Finnish Music Information Center page on Pacius' Vocal Works]
* {{BLF|1441|Fredrik Pacius}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pacius, Fredrik}}
[[Category:1809 births]]
[[Category:1891 deaths]]
[[Category:Composers from Hamburg]]
[[Category:Finnish classical composers]]
[[Category:German emigrants to the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:German male opera composers]]
[[Category:National anthem writers]]
[[Category:19th-century German classical composers]]
[[Category:Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery]]
[[Category:19th-century male musicians]]
[[Category:Academic staff of the University of Helsinki]]
[[Category:Finnish opera composers]]
[[Category:Composers from the Russian Empire]]
[[Category:German emigrants to Finland]]