This collection of Six Part-Songs for Female Voices contains six relatively different pieces that vary both in the language of their texts (Finnish and Swedish) and in length and number of voices. Nevertheless, they form a coherent and interesting set of moderate difficulty throughout, making Sibelius as a composer accessible to smaller female choirs and ensembles.
The pieces were written at different times and for different occasions. Kotikaipaus, for example, was written in the summer of 1902 as a thank-you gift for a serenade; Kansakoululaisten marssi was commissioned in 1910 for the 100th birthday of Uno Cygnaeus, the founding father of the Finnish educational system. Kantat was composed for a similar anniversary. The three pieces Soi kiitokseksi Luojan, Nejden andas and Terve, Ruhtinatar, on the other hand, are excerpts and arrangements of existing works for choir and orchestra. The latter two appear in print for the first time outside the complete edition as part of this collection.
The edition includes translations of the song texts in German and English as well as an informative preface by the editor, which, like the sheet music, is based on volume VII/1 of the complete edition Jean Sibelius Works.
