Oskar Merikanto
Finnish musician
Died when: 55 years 196 days (666 months)Star Sign: Leo
Oskar Merikanto (pronounced ['osk?r 'meri?k?nto]; born Frans Oskar Ala-Kanto; 5 August 1868, Helsinki – 17 February 1924, Hausjärvi-Oitti) was a Finnish composer, music critic, pianist, and organist.
As a composer, Merikanto was primarily a miniaturist, and includes songs and piano pieces (he wrote over 100 of each). Of the latter, he is best remembered for: Summer Evening Waltz (Kesällan valssi, Op. 1), Romance (Romanssi, Op. 12), Summer Evening Idyll (Kesällan idyll, Op. 16/2), Valse lente (Op. 33), and Idyll (Op. 73/1).
Merikanto also wrote three operas: The Maiden of the North (Pohjan neiti, 1898), which retains a degree of historical significance as the first opera composed to a Finnish libretto;
The Death of Elina (Elinan surma, 1910); and Regina von Emmeritz (1920). However, Merikanto's operas have entered neither the domestic nor the international repertoires.
As a music critic, Merikanto was associated with the Finnish-language, liberal, nationalist newspaper Päivälehti.
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