Jean Sibelius lived a long life, during which the history of music changed entirely. When Sibelius was born, the Viennese classical school and Early Romanticism were still accepted styles of composition in Finland and Europe. When he began to take violin lessons, Liszt, Wagner and Verdi were active composers. When he began to study composition, Edvard Grieg was considered a bold musical innovator in Finland.

Before his death in 1957 the composer had seen music develop from Late Romanticism to the years of Impressionism, Expressionism, Neoclassicism, Dodecaphony, Total Serialism and the Darmstadt school - and, on the other hand, to the golden age of jazz and the birth of rock'n'roll.