After losing the competition for the post of music teacher at the university in 1897, Sibelius was awarded a ten-year arts grant by the Tsar as a consolation prize. In 1898 the grant was set at 3,000 marks annually (almost 11,000 euros), which equalled the half-yearly salary of a university professor. At the end of the ten-year period the grant was transformed into a pension.
Sibelius’s ten-year grant and pension, 1898-1957
Year | Pension (Finnish marks) | Current value of the pension in euros |
| 1898 | 3,000 | 10,940 |
| 1899 | 3,000 | 10,460 |
| 1900 | 3,000 | 10,300 |
| 1901 | 3,000 | 10,340 |
| 1902 | 3,000 | 10,340 |
| 1903 | 3,000 | 10,340 |
| 1904 | 3,000 | 10,340 |
| 1905 | 3,000 | 10,340 |
| 1906 | 3,000 | 9,930 |
| 1907 | 3,000 | 9,630 |
| 1908 | 3,000 | 9,180 |
| 1909 | 3,000 | 9,330 |
| 1910 | 3,000 | 9,330 |
| 1911 | 3,000 | 8,980 |
| 1912 | 5,000 | 14,620 |
| 1913 | 5,000 | 14,620 |
| 1914 | 5,000 | 14,620 |
| 1915 | 5,000 | 12,700 |
| 1916 | 5,000 | 9,200 |
| 1917 | 5,000 | 4,700 |
| 1918 | 5,000 | 1,430 |
| 1919 | 8,000 | 2,470 |
| 1920 | 8,000 | 2,470 |
| 1921 | 30,000 | 7,410 |
| 1922 | 30,000 | 7,615 |
| 1923 | 30,000 | 7,560 |
| 1924 | 30,000 | 7,462 |
| 1925 | 30,000 | 7,160 |
| 1926 | 100,000 | 24,700 |
| 1927 | 100,000 | 24,200 |
| … | ||
| 1946 | 300,000 | 17,650 |
| … | ||
| 1950 | 1,700,000 | 37,800 |
The pension was raised a few times. Nevertheless, its value sank over the years. It was at its lowest in the years just after Finland became independent from Russia. It is ironic that the pension began to maintain its intended real value only after it was no longer important to the composer. By the end of 1926 the debts had been paid off and royalties were starting to flow in.