The Sibelius Forum

Tapkaara · Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:31 pm Post subject: Sibelius's family

I'm sure someone here can answer this...

Who are the current living members fo the Sibelius family? I know the daughters have all passed on. Do any living family still have the name "Sibelius?" Also, what is there status in Finland today? I imagine if you have the name Sibelius, you are probably treated with some measure of respect...!

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"Music is not philosophy."
-- Akira Ifukube

Harri M · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:56 am Post subject:

I should know this, but not. But by marriage daughters got their husbands`names. I think, but am not sure, that J.S`s brother had a child. eniro.fi gives 55 numbers of name Sibelius.

Andrew B · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 8:26 am Post subject:

I don't think any of the close relatives still use the name Sibelius actively... Harri is right, the daughters all took their husbands' names. I once met a grandson of Christian Sibelius, but he had the family name Ahlström (ergo: son of CS's eldest daughter). CS had two sons, Johannes [=Jussi] who died in 1940 and Christian who died in 1951. His other daughter, Rita (married name Vangel) died as recently as 2004. Maybe the sons had sons in their turn?

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Tapkaara · Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 10:53 am Post subject:

I have no doubt the Sibelius daughters took their husbands names when they married...that is standard everywhere.

Interesting that the name "Sibelius" seems to have died out. I can only imagine that if you have that last name in Finland, people would think of you as having direct lineage to a god!

Here in the States, the governor of Kansas is a woman by the nmae of Kathleen Sebelius. I'm sure there is no relation to the Sibelius family...but what a name!

_________________
"Music is not philosophy."
-- Akira Ifukube

Harri M · Posted: Sat Aug 02, 2008 12:07 pm Post subject:

Today I called Sibelius.

I told this to my colleaque who passed my house when I was doing some painting, and I saw from his face what he thought about it.

Peter Sibelius answered in Lapinjärvi, same place where JS`s grandfather was from. He is a descendent of JS`s grandfather`s brother.

PS, b. 1957 in Tampere, is an arborist of the town Helsinki. He played tuba (!) in his youth in Lapinjärvi VPK torvisoittokunta (brassband) He and his wife Katri have 4 children, youngest is 2 years old Emil.

There is also an other family with name Sib, but they are not relatives. PS told that somebody, maybe who had been working for JS, though that because JS had no son, he will take that name and then we will have more people with this name.