Martin Wegelius
Humanist of the day

Martin Wegelius

Martin Wegelius, who studied aesthetics at the University, was, by the turn of the twentieth century, Finland’s most notable figure in the world of music education. He was a composer, but most of his life’s work was spent creating a framework for the study of music. Wegelius set up the Helsinki College of Music (nowadays the Sibelius Academy) and was its first director. An institute in Helsinki is named after him as well as the foundation that runs it.

Martin Wegelius

Born November 10, 1846, Helsinki. Died March 22, 1906, Helsinki.

Master of Philosophy (Aesthetics), 1869, Imperial Alexander University
Music studies in Helsinki, Vienna, 1870-1871, Leipzig, 1871-1873, Munich, 1877-1878
Trips to Germany, 1876, 1882, 1886; France and Belgium, 1889-1890; Italy, 1901

Singing teacher in various schools in Helsinki, 1868-1869, 1880-1902
Leader, Akademiska sångföreningen (Academic choral society), 1869-1870, 1873-1876
Répétiteur (music coach), Swedish Theatre in Helsinki, 1873-1877
Conductor, Finnish Opera, 1878-1879
Founder, Helsinki college of music (aka Sibelius Academy)
Music Theory Teacher, Director, 1882-1906, Helsinki college of music
State Pension for Artists, 1902
Lectures on music and music history, 1870s

Honours
Memorial, Ramsholmen (Tammisaari-Ekenäs, southwest Finland)

Named after Wegelius
Martin Wegelius Institute Foundation, 1956
Martin Wegelius minne -memorial foundation, 1931

Photo: National Board of Antiquities
Written by Tomas Sjöblom
Translated by John Calton

Master’s in Aesthetics to Music maker

The University Bursar Adolf Wilhelm Wegelius’ son Martin Wegelius enrolled to study in the Imperial Alexander University in 1864. The Wegelius family were of respectable clerical and civil servant stock from Ilmajoki in Ostrobothnia, western Finland. Young Martin’s interests and life’s work were to take a very different course from…

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Pioneer in music pedagogy

Martin Wegelius had acquired a profound knowledge about music since his school years. He was first taught by a private instructor in his home country but made a long study trip to German-speaking areas after graduating from the University in 1868. Wegelius began planning a music college in Helsinki with…

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The Martin Wegelius Institute

Martin Wegelius was perhaps the most prominent pioneer in Finnish music pedagogy at the turn of the 20th century. He was one of the main founders of the Helsinki music college and had a great influence on the Swedish-speaking music movement in Finland. It comes as no surprise that his…

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