The Bells of Kallio Church
The Bells of Kallio Church (in Finnish: ; in Swedish: ; ), JS 102 (arrangements as Op. 65b) is a brief chorale for mechanized carillon written in 1912 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The piece, which the titular institution commissioned, sounds twice daily—at noon and 18 o'clock—in Helsinki on four of the seven German-made, bronze church bells in the brick-and-granite steeple. As such, it is the most frequently performed composition in Sibelius's oeuvre, as well as a notable part of the capital's soundscape. The piece premiered on 1 September 1912 in Helsinki at the Kallio Church's consecration ceremony. For this occasion, the Finnish choral master arranged the chorale (without Sibelius's blessing) for mixed choir , to a poem by , the priest of the new church. Klemetti's intrusion confused the Finnish press: some newspapers mistakenly credited both men for the tune, while others omitted Sibelius's name entirely. To reclaim sole artistic ownership, Sibelius arranged The Bells of Kallio Church for solo piano a few days after the ceremony, while on 13 September he supplanted Klemetti's arrangement with his own for mixed choir—settling, ironically, for new lyrics penned by Klemetti. History On 13 July 1908, construction began on a new