Ilmari Hannikainen (Jyväskylä 1892.10.19 – Kuhmoinen 1955.7.25)

 Finnish composer and pianist. While achieving international recognition as a pianist, he also left behind numerous compositions as a composer. Hannikainen pursued his studies in various parts of Western Europe, including Finland, Vienna, Russia, Germany, and France. As a pianist, he was greatly influenced by the teachings of the Russian master Alexander Siloti, with whom he later toured various parts of Western Europe as a piano duo. He later received instruction from Alfred Cortot in Paris. He also made significant contributions to educational activities in Finland, serving as a piano professor at the Sibelius Academy from its inception. From his tutelage emerged important musicians who would shape the next generation, such as Erik Tawaststjerna, Joonas Kokkonen, and Tapani Valsta. As a composer, he studied with Erkki Melartin in Finland, Franz Schreker for counterpoint in Vienna, and Maximilian Steinberg in Russia. While primarily focusing on piano miniatures, his larger works include a Piano Sonata, Fantasia Variations, a Piano Concerto, and a Piano Quartet. Additionally, he left over 100 songs and the opera The Harvest Dance. His music occasionally reveals impressionistic colorations, yet it is also characterized by dramatic expressions that likely reflect his own rich and complex emotions. Perhaps due to his overly sensitive nature as an artist, he lost his life during a boat trip in Kuhmoinen in 1955, and the prevailing theory is that his death was a suicide.