author
1872–1921
Best remembered for writing the words to the Uusimaa regional anthem later set to music by Jean Sibelius, this Finnish writer moved easily between poetry, journalism, song, and public life. His work also reached choirs, satirical magazines, and the temperance movement, giving his writing a strong civic voice.
by Kaarlo Terhi
Kaarlo Terhi (born Karl August Hammar in Salo on March 26, 1872; died in Helsinki on March 21, 1921) was a Finnish writer, journalist, song lyricist, choir leader, and teacher. He studied at the Jyväskylä teacher seminary and completed a singing-teacher qualification at the Helsinki Music Institute before working as a teacher, journalist, and eventually a freelance author.
He was active in Finland’s temperance movement, where he served as a leader in temperance societies and directed choirs. He also appeared as a ceremonial poet at public temperance gatherings, wrote satirical pieces for the magazine Tuulispää under the pen name "Laulajapoja," and was involved with the editorial staffs of the newspapers Suomen Kansa and Koitto.
Terhi published poetry, dialect writing, and fiction, including Kannel ja lempi, Merkilissi jutui, and the novel Veikaten vihille. He is especially remembered for writing the lyrics to Uusmaalaisten laulu, first performed in 1912, after his text was chosen in a competition and set to music by Jean Sibelius.