1 Childhood

 Selim Palmgren was born on February 16, 1878, in Pori, a city in southwestern Finland. His father was Karl Fredrik and his mother was Emma Kristina. Twelve children were born to the Palmgren family, but some died young, and five, including Selim, the youngest, were known for their particular love of music. The name Selim was inherited from his elder brother, who was born in 1875 and died after six months. Pori was a historically prosperous town in Finland, with thriving shipbuilding and timber export industries.

 The Palmgren family was bourgeois and resided in the center of town, and Selim grew up in a wealthy and privileged environment. His elder siblings also possessed rich musical talent; his eldest brother Allan, second sister Anni, third sister Naima, and fourth sister Rosa were particularly dedicated to music. Anni, in particular, had studied abroad in Leipzig and aimed to become a professional pianist, entrusting this dream to Selim. Selim received his piano education from his sister Anni. He possessed high aptitude as a pianist and, at the same time, showed an interest in composition from his boyhood, writing a Chopin-esque piece at the age of 14.

 Among the bourgeoisie in Pori, salon concerts were frequently held even among amateur musicians. Palmgren was exposed to such performances often from his youth. As a music educator, Adolf Emil Taipale was involved in Palmgren's education and exerted a significant influence.

It was Ferruccio Busoni who inspired Palmgren to aspire to be a pianist. Busoni arrived in Helsinki in 1888 at the age of 22 as a professor of piano at the Helsinki Conservatory. He formed friendships with students of the time, including Sibelius, transcending the teacher-student barrier. However, as there were no students in the piano department among Sibelius's contemporaries who satisfied Busoni as a teacher, he resigned early. Nevertheless, he continued to visit Finland for recitals. Palmgren, upon hearing Busoni's performance, was deeply moved and resolved, "I want to become a pianist, and if possible, a composer."

 In May 1895, Palmgren was accepted into the Helsinki Conservatory, and before leaving Pori, he performed a concert with his sister Anni.

2 Helsinki Conservatory Period

 In September 1895, Palmgren enrolled in the Helsinki Conservatory, where he studied piano with Henrik Melcer-Szczawiński (Polish), Walter Petzet (German), and Karl Ekman. Shortly after his enrollment, his mother died suddenly, which greatly distressed Palmgren. Furthermore, the family's prosperous business began to falter due to changes in the national economic structure, shaking the financial foundation for his continued musical studies and making his future musical career very challenging. Despite this, Palmgren distinguished himself as a pianist from his first year, performing the solo part of the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24 in a two-piano version at a conservatory concert in March 1896. In a concert in May 1897, he also performed the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20, composing his own cadenza on that occasion.

 During his time at the Conservatory, his repertoire expanded to include more Romantic works, and he performed pieces such as Chopin's Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Scherzo No. 1 in B minor, and Liszt's "Liebesträume". He also gave concerts when he returned to Pori during his studies.

 From the autumn of 1897, he formally began serious composition studies under Martin Wegelius, the professor of composition and director of the Conservatory, who had previously taught Sibelius. He immediately began composing a piano suite, and his "Four Piano Pieces," Op. 1, were completed and published in 1898. During the summer vacation of 1898, he went to Wegelius's villa to continue his composition studies, spending his time writing music. In this year, he also wrote "Three Piano Pieces," Op. 2b, and two songs.

 On the other hand, as he advanced in his studies, financial support from his family became less reliable. Thanks to Wegelius's consideration, he continued his studies with a scholarship.

 He continued to grow as a pianist, serving as the soloist for Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 at a Conservatory concert in May 1898, and for Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" at a concert in December. At his graduation concert from the Helsinki Conservatory in May 1899, he gave a fine performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1. The works he deeply studied during his time at the Helsinki Conservatory were those of Chopin, Liszt, Schumann. Later, when he became active as a composer, he would write many pieces of "National Romanticism," strongly influenced by these Romantic composers, while incorporating elements of West Finnish folk dances.

3 Berlin Study Period

 After graduating from the Helsinki Conservatory, Palmgren went to Berlin in October 1899 for further training. In Berlin, he studied piano with Conrad Ansorge, a distinguished pupil of Liszt, and composition with Wilhelm Berger. Shortly after arriving in Berlin, in November, Palmgren received news that his father, Karl Fredrik, had died in a small boat accident (suicide) in his hometown of Pori. Despite this tragedy, he continued his musical studies and performed in a concert in Helsinki upon his return in 1900. For the next few years, he made repeated short-term study trips to Berlin, studying composition with Berger in 1901. From July to September of the same year, he attended Busoni's masterclass in Weimar. This masterclass attracted students from diverse international backgrounds. By receiving lessons from Busoni, who was a renowned leading pianist at the time, Palmgren achieved significant growth in his performance. Busoni also accepted Palmgren as a beloved pupil and remained a spiritual pillar for Palmgren as a composer in later years. Following the success of his studies abroad, Palmgren held a full-scale concert in Helsinki in the winter of 1901 upon his return.

 During this time, he continued to compose piano and vocal works. The Suite Op. 4 (1901) and "Eight Poetic Interludes," Op. 8 (1899-1901), were composed. His early representative work, the Piano Sonata in D minor, Op. 11 (1901), was also created around this time.

4 Composition, Choral Conducting, and Performance Activities

 From March to June 1902, after receiving further instruction from Busoni in Berlin, Palmgren returned to Finland. From the autumn of that year, he began teaching choral music to university students. Over the following year, he conducted the Helsinki University Male Choir. Palmgren's prolific composition of male choral works is related to his father Karl Fredrik's lifelong affinity for choral music and Palmgren's own enthusiastic involvement in choirs during his high school years.

 In March 1904, he again went to Berlin to study, this time learning counterpoint from Wilhelm Klatte. Upon returning in June, he dedicated himself to composition, and on December 5, he successfully premiered his Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 13, in Helsinki. Palmgren served as the soloist, and Robert Kajanus was the conductor.

Although a small-scale work for a piano concerto, it is a functional piece characterized by his signature lightness. Following a slow introduction, it is structured in the traditional three-movement form of "fast-slow-fast," with movements played continuously. Formally, it is reminiscent of Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1, but its nationalist elements suggest the influence of Grieg. The themes quote folk songs with religious elements from Southern Ostrobothnia. In the interlude, sentimental music with similarities to Tchaikovsky is depicted. The final section has a dance-like quality, again recalling Grieg.

 In 1905, he began his activities as a conductor, leading concerts for the Turku Music Society in January and the Helsinki Philharmonic in November. On December 13, he also featured his own compositions in a concert.

 From this period, his piano recital programs increasingly centered on his own works, and opportunities to publicly perform works by Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven, and others, which had previously been his main repertoire, became almost non-existent.

Palmgren's last study trip to Berlin was in 1906, where he studied composition with Klatte. He returned to Finland in June of the same year, completing his training.

5 Encounter with Maikki Järnefelt

 Upon returning to Finland and beginning his career as a pianist, Palmgren accompanied the vocalist Maikki Järnefelt in October 1906. Maikki was an internationally active vocalist at the time. She was seven years older than Palmgren and the wife of Armas Järnefelt (Sibelius's friend, brother-in-law, composer, and conductor). At Armas's request, Palmgren became Maikki's accompanist. Their collaboration led to the development of intimate feelings between Palmgren and Maikki, which became a scandalous topic in Helsinki's music circles. At that time, Palmgren had begun composing the opera "Daniel Hjort", and to concentrate on this work and distance himself from the Helsinki music scene, he traveled to Italy in June 1907. Maikki followed, arriving in Italy in August. Palmgren had already decided to publish his "24 Preludes," Op. 17, as a piano work. Numbers 1 to 11 were composed in Finland, and numbers 12 to 24 were composed in Italy, with the entire collection completed in September.

In November, he moved to Berlin and continued composing the opera. (Maikki returned to Finland in December.)

 Subsequently, in 1908, Palmgren signed a contract with Schlessinger publishing house in Berlin. After returning to Finland, he continued his concert activities as a pianist. In December of the same year, Armas agreed to divorce Maikki. Palmgren married Maikki in October 1910. The opera "Daniel Hjort" premiered in Turku in April 1910 and was a success.

6 Performance Activities and Piano Concerto No. 2

 Palmgren's compositions primarily consisted of piano pieces, songs, and choral works. He left behind numerous vocal works for his wife, Maikki, and piano pieces for his own performance. After marrying Maikki, they embarked on performance tours together, both domestically and internationally. From 1909, he served as a conductor in Turku for three years.

In 1912, he began composing Piano Concerto No. 2 "The River," Op. 33 (sketches for which he had started in 1907), completing it by late summer or early autumn of the same year. During his stay in Berlin, Palmgren had befriended the pianist Ignaz Friedman, who had offered to be the soloist for the premiere, but this did not materialize. Instead, before the work was publicly released, it was recommended to the Danish publisher Wilhelm Hansen, and its publication was decided. Palmgren premiered "The River" in Helsinki on October 13, 1913, conducting himself and serving as the soloist, with Georg Schnéevoigt as the conductor. In November, he performed it in Stockholm. In December, in Berlin, Palmgren conducted while Friedman served as the soloist. "The River" was subsequently popularized in Germany by Friedman and continuously performed in Finland by younger pianists.

7 Around World War I

 After resigning as conductor in Turku, Palmgren and Maikki moved their base of operations to Berlin in November 1912. This was to concentrate on composing large-scale works such as operas, symphonies, and symphonic poems. He particularly aimed to create an opera that could be performed in German-speaking countries and considered various librettos.

As a result, he decided to adapt the popular horror novel "The Student of Prague" into an opera and began working on it. However, World War I broke out in July 1914, and since Finland was under Russian rule at the time, Palmgren, residing in Germany, was suspected of being a Russian spy and imprisoned in Warmbrunn in August. After his innocence was cleared, he left Germany in October and relocated to Stockholm. During the war, Palmgren continued his performance activities with Maikki, giving concerts while moving between Norway and Denmark. During this time, he composed numerous piano suites, including "Spring," Op. 47, "Light and Shadow," Op. 51, and "Three Piano Pieces," Op. 54. Furthermore, Piano Concerto No. 3 "Metamorphoses," Op. 41, which he had begun writing in Berlin, was finally completed in Copenhagen in 1916 and premiered in Helsinki in November of the same year after his return to Finland.

 In Finland, influenced by the Russian Revolution in 1917, the country gained independence from Russia, but immediately thereafter, a civil war broke out between the White and Red Guards, leading to a dangerous and chaotic situation. During this time, Palmgren remained in Helsinki. After the civil war ended, the Finnish government granted Palmgren the status of a lifelong national artist.

8 American Period

 After World War I, he sought performance opportunities in Berlin, but his plans were thwarted by the war-ravaged state of Germany. For a while, he continued performing in the Nordic countries. In 1921, he traveled to America for the first time and gave a concert in New York. Aiming for financial stability, he toured extensively, giving concerts across the United States. However, this involved long travel distances, an unfamiliar hot climate,

hotel stays, and high expenses, yet the remuneration was meager, leading to many problems.

A turning point in America came in 1922 when he was appointed Professor of Composition at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York (on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario). This position had originally been offered to Sibelius, and after Sibelius declined, the Norwegian Christian Sinding briefly held the post, leaving it vacant. At the Eastman School of Music, Palmgren's teaching was diverse, encompassing not only composition but also piano, music theory, conducting the student orchestra, and assisting in music history. He continued this work until 1926.

Even amidst his busy schedule, he continued composing piano pieces. His "Piano Pieces," Op. 74-82, and "Works for Violin and Piano," Op. 78 (c. 1922), are among his works from the American period.

Piano Concertos No. 2 and No. 3 were performed with American orchestras. Piano Concerto No. 4 "April," the most impressionistic of Palmgren's piano concertos, was begun during his time in America.

9 Return Home, Maikki's Death, Remarriage

 In the spring of 1926, he concluded his activities in America and returned to Finland in June. Subsequently, he became a professor of piano at the Helsinki Conservatory and the University of Helsinki. In 1927, he completed Piano Concerto No. 4 "April," Op. 85, and premiered it on December 15 of the same year. This work is the most impressionistic among Palmgren's compositions, and upon its release, it was considered avant-garde for its time, exceeding the understanding of conservative critics. The opera "Daniel Hjort" was originally written in Swedish, but for its revision, a Finnish version was created, and the new version was completed and performed in 1929.

 However, in the same year, Maikki suffered a cerebral illness and passed away in July. Palmgren, in his grief, was supported by Minna Talvik, a vocalist and Maikki's student. After Maikki's death, Palmgren accompanied Minna and chose her as his partner for the latter half of his life, remarrying in 1930.

 Thereafter, he toured Finland, Sweden, and Denmark with Minna, making numerous appearances on radio stations in various countries. His status as a composer in Finland also grew. In 1932, he became a member of the Nordic music societies in Helsinki, and in 1933, he was elected an honorary member of the University of Helsinki. He also performed in London and the Baltic states.

10 World War II and Later Years

 In 1938, Palmgren's 60th birthday was celebrated with a grand ceremony at the festive hall of the University of Helsinki. Immediately thereafter, the final version of "Daniel Hjort" in Finnish was performed. This version included several new scenes at the conclusion and a revised structure. In December of the same year, he was elected an honorary member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

 In 1939, he became a professor of composition at the Sibelius Academy. In contrast to his success as a musician, the situation in Europe deteriorated with the rise of Hitler, and World War II began. In Finland, the Winter War with the Soviet Union, controlled by Stalin, broke out, and Palmgren could not live in peace. It was amidst such a critical situation that he began work on Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 99. This work, in a classical three-movement form, was completed in Naantali, where he had sought refuge. The orchestra plays the main themes, differing in character from his previous works where the piano was dominant. The premiere took place on February 13, 1942, in Helsinki, with Palmgren conducting and Kerttu Bernhard as the soloist. During the war, he continued composing, including the piano collection "Sun and Clouds," Op. 102 (1942), and choral works.

 In September 1944, Finland signed a peace agreement with the Soviet Union, ending the war. In his later years, Palmgren focused on his long-standing work as a critic and consistently offered advice to younger composers. As one of his very last piano pieces, Sonatina No. 2, Op. 113 (1950), was composed.

Palmgren was praised not only in Finland but also in Sweden and Denmark as a leading figure representing the Nordic countries. In 1945, he was elected president of the Finnish Composers' Association. In 1946, he established the Nordic Composers' Council in Copenhagen and became its president in Stockholm the following year. In 1948, at the age of 70, he published his autobiography. In 1949, he received the Finnish Cultural Honorary Medal, and in 1950, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki. In 1951, he retired as professor of composition at the Sibelius Academy. His last concert was a performance with Minna in November of the same year. He suffered a stroke at home and passed away on December 13, at the age of 73.

 Palmgren primarily composed piano works, but he also made significant contributions in the vocal field, including choral works and songs. As a composer of the post-Sibelius generation, he left behind excellent piano concertos. This was in stark contrast to his contemporary and close friend, Melartin, who primarily composed large-scale orchestral works such as symphonies, ballet music, and incidental music. His notable students include Heino Kaski, Erkki Aaltonen, and Ahti Sonninen.