Erkki Melartin (Feb. 7, 1875 - Feb. 14, 1937) was a Finnish composer, conductor, and teacher. He studied in Helsinki fro 1893 to 1899 with Martin Wegelius, and with Robert Fuchs, in Vienna, from 1899 to 1901.

In addition to composing, Melartin taught and conducted at the Helsinki Conservatory. He traveled quite a bit for conducting, and was the first to conduct Gustav Mahler's music in Scandinavia. As a composer, he produced music of various instrumentations and genres, including several symphonies, and was influenced strongly by Gustav Mahler.

In addition to symphonies, Melartin wrote chamber works too, and several pieces for solo piano, including his Lyric Pieces. In this post, we're looking at the third movement, the Berceuse, which runs about two minutes. It starts calmly, slowly making the melody known, with a syncopated left hand quietly pushing it along, with a dream-like feel permeating throughout.

Here's a wonderful recording of this work for you to enjoy!

Maria Lettberg