Finlandia

It is not intended to be sung. It is written for an orchestra. But if the world wants to sing it, it can't be helped.
~Jean Sibelius

Some info about Sibelius' Finlandia:

"Finlandia, Op. 26 is a symphonic poem by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius... a covert protest against increasing censorship from the Russian Empire, and was the last of seven pieces performed as an accompaniment to a tableau depicting episodes from Finnish history... In order to avoid Russian censorship, Finlandia had to be performed under alternate names at various musical concerts. Titles under which the piece masqueraded were numerous, a famous example being Happy Feelings at the awakening of Finnish Spring, and A Scandinavian Choral March." (Wikipedia)


"Finlandia became a world favourite, and many arrangements were made of it: an arrangement for military band in 1909, a choral and orchestral version in English in 1925, and an arrangement for marimba orchestra in the 1940s. Sibelius heard a version given by a restaurant trio in Bergen in 1921 and politely asked the musicians not to play it." (http://www.sibelius.fi)