Armas Järnefelt

Who was Armas Järnefelt?

Edvard Armas Järnefelt, was a Finnish composer and conductor.

Armas Järnefelt was born in Vyborg, in the Grand Duchy of Finland, the son of general August Aleksander Järnefelt and Elisabeth Järnefelt. His siblings were Kasper, Arvid, Erik, Ellida, Ellen, Aino, Hilja and Sigrid. Armas Järnefelt was the first Finnish composer to conduct Richard Wagner's operas in Finland. He achieved some minor success with his orchestral works Berceuse and Praeludium.

Järnefelt's music teacher in Helsinki was Ferruccio Busoni and in Paris, Jules Massenet. He enjoyed a close relationship with Jean Sibelius, who was married to Järnefelt's sister Aino. From 1905 Armas Järnefelt worked in Sweden. He became a Swedish citizen in 1909, and died in Stockholm.

On June first 2012 a display of AJ paraphernalia was opened in the entrance of the Sibelius Academy situated in Helsinki Music Center.