Aamulla varhain - Early in the Morning

Ameriikan poijat Finnish Classics Series

Aamula varhain (“Early in the morning. A song of lost love.”
) is one of many short descriptive instrumental works by Edvard Armas Järnefelt (14 August 1869 – 23 June 1958). He was a Finnish conductor and composer, who achieved some minor success with such orchestral music Berceuse and Praeludium. He spent much of his conducting career at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, Sweden. Many of these works have been transcribed for Seitsikko.

The Ameriikan poijat Finnish Classics Series is scored primarily for original Finnish brass septet: E flat Soprano Cornet, two B flat Cornets, an E flat Alto Horn, a B flat Tenor Horn, an Euphonium, and a Tuba. However, these sets also include alternate parts for flute (piccolo), clarinet, French horn, and tenor saxophone. The original seven parts can also be played by other instrumentalists who read those clefs and transpositions (tenor saxophone, bassoon, bass clarinet, etc.) While many of us in Ameriikan poijat have contributed arrangements to this series, it has been primarily of work of Tracey Gibbens, with editing by Russell Pesola and Paul Niemisto.

Järnefelt was born in Vyborg, in the son of General August Aleksander Järnefelt and Elisabeth Järnefelt (née Clodt von Jürgensburg). Järnefelt studied with Ferruccio Busoni in Helsinki and with Jules Massenet in Paris. Both Järnefelt and Busoni enjoyed a close relationship with Jean Sibelius, who was married to Järnefelt's sister Aino. Between 1932-36 Järnefelt was the artistic director and conductor of the Finnish National Opera. He presented, among others, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung from Wagner's Ring cycle, and Parsifal. He was principal conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra 1942–1943, and also returned to the Royal Swedish Opera as chief conductor from 1938 to 1946. He died in Stockholm.