Introduction

Biography

Pacius be­came a mu­sic teach­er at the Uni­ver­si­ty of Hel­sin­ki in 1834. In Hel­sin­ki, he found­ed a mu­sic­al so­cie­ty, a stu­dent choir and an or­ches­tra.

In 1848, he wrote the mu­sic to the po­em Ma­am­me, by Jo­han Ru­ne­berg, which was to be­come Fin­land’s na­tion­al an­them. Pa­ci­us’ mu­sic was als­o used for the Es­to­ni­an na­tion­al an­them. In 1852 he wrote The Hunt of King Charles, the first Fin­nish op­era, with a li­bret­to by Za­cha­ri­as To­pe­li­us.