Music of Iceland

Icelandic music has a very long tradition, with some songs still sung today dating from 14th century. Folk songs are often about love, sailors, masculinity, hard winters, as well as elves, trolls and other mythological creatures, and tend to be quite secular and often humorous. Bjarni Þorsteinsson collected Icelandic folk music between 1906 and 1909, and many of the songs he encountered were accompanied by traditional instruments like the langspil and fiðla, which are among the few musical instruments traditionally played in Iceland. Chain dances, known as víkivaki, have been performed in Iceland since the 11th century at a variety of occasions, such as in churches and during the Christmas season. An example is "Ólafur Liljurós", an Icelandic víkivaki folk song dating to the 14th century, about a man who, while on his way to meet his mother, is seduced, kissed, and stabbed by an elf woman while riding his horse, then eventually dies.

Iceland's isolation meant that, until the 18th century, foreign influences were almost completely absent, which resulted in the maintenance of a particular rhythm, called hákveða, lost in other Nordic countries and considered one of the main characteristics of Icelandic folk music. Hákveða refers to a special emphasis placed on some of the words of a song, often the last word of each sentence in each verse. In the following example, taken from the song "Ólafur Liljurós", hákveða is shown in italics:

Ólafur reið með björgunum fram, villir Hann, stillir "Hann,

hitti hann fyrir sér álfarann, þar rauði loginn brann,

Blíðan lagði byrinn undan björgunum, blíðan lagði byrinn undan björgunum fram.

Rímur are epic tales sung as alliterative, rhyming ballads, usually a cappella. Rímur can be traced back to the Viking Age Eddic poetry of the skalds and employs complex metaphors and cryptic rhymes and forms.[1] Some of the most famous rímur were written between the 18th and early 20th centuries, by poets like Hannes Bjarnason (1776–1838), Jón Sigurðsson (1853–1922) and Sigurður Breiðfjörð (1798–1846).

In the early 18th century, European dances like polka, waltz, reel and schottische begin to arrive via Denmark. These foreign dances are today known as gömlu dansarnir or literally the "old dances". After their arrival, native dance and song traditions fell into serious decline. For a long time, rímur were officially banned by the church. Paradoxically, many Icelandic priests were keen in making rímur. Rímur remained popular recreation until the early 20th century. In recent years, efforts have been made to revive native Icelandic forms. For example, a modern revitalization of the Rímur tradition began in 1929 with the formation of the organization Iðunn.[2]

Protestantism has also left its mark on the music of Iceland. Hallgrímur Pétursson wrote numerous Protestant hymns in the 17th century. In the 19th century, Magnús Stephensen brought pipe organs to Iceland, soon to be followed by harmonium pumped reed-organs. "Heyr himna smiður" ("Hark, Creator of the Heaven") is probably the oldest psalm which is still sung today; it was composed by Kolbeinn Tumason in 1208.

The music of Iceland includes vibrant folk and pop traditions and is expanding in its variety of sound styles and genres. Well-known artists from Iceland include alternative rock band The Sugarcubes, singers Björk, Hafdís Huld and Emilíana Torrini, and post-rock band Sigur Rós, as well as electronic music groups like GusGus. Iceland's traditional music is related to Nordic music forms.

Icelandic popular music today includes many bands and artists, ranging from indie and pop-rock to electronic music. It is also increasingly becoming recognized for its vibrant and growing metal and hardcore scene.[3][4]

One widely known Icelandic artist is eclectic singer and composer Björk, who has received 15 Grammy nominations and sold over 15 million albums worldwide, including two platinum albums and one gold album in the United States.[5] Another is the post-rock formation Sigur Rós and its lead singer Jónsi. Widely known outside Iceland, they were immortalized in an episode of The Simpsons[6] and more recently in an episode of Game of Thrones.[7]

The national anthem of Iceland is "Lofsöngur", written by Matthías Jochumsson, with music by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson.[25] The song, in the form of a hymn, was written in 1874, when Iceland celebrated the one thousandth anniversary of settlement on the island. It was first published under the title "A Hymn in Commemoration of Iceland's Thousand Years".

• Iceland Music aims to aid in exporting Icelandic music abroad. It runs a website and newsletter with information about Icelandic music, with a social media presence where an audience can follow development in Icelandic music.[26] ÚTÓN is the local wing of Iceland Music which educates musicians on matters of music promotion as well as administering funds and general consultation.[27]
• The Music Information Center (MIC) is a national agency for contemporary and older, mostly classical, music. It is also part of the International Music Information center.[28]
• Samtónn is an umbrella organization for Icelandic authors, performers and producers.[29]
• Mengi in Reijkjavik is a centre for avant garde music, experimental music and contemporary music. The organisation organizes performances, exhibitions, conferences and runs a recording studio and a record label.

Iceland hosts a variety of music festivals. The biggest festival is Iceland Airwaves with over 9000 guests. It takes place in the central area of Iceland's capital city Reykjavík for five days at the beginning of November. There is also an up-and-coming festival, Secret Solstice, which was held for the first time in the summer of 2014, June 20–22. The festival took place at the Laugardalur recreational area, also known as Hot Spring Valley, which is located just 15 minutes from downtown Reykjavik. There are also a number of intimate and transformative festivals that happen year-round in the countryside, such as Saga Fest in Selfoss and LungA Art Festival in Seyðisfjörður.

Other festivals are:

Concert hall Harpa held its opening concert on May 4, 2011. Bigger concerts are held in sportshalls Laugardalshöll, Egilshöll and Kórinn. Theaters such as Gamla bíó, Bæjarbíó and Iðnó are used for concerts. Austurbær is an old movie theater.

Smaller concerts are held at smaller venues or pubs located mainly around capital area.

Some of the labels mostly concentrate on one genre, whilst others are promoting many types of music. 12 Tónar and Smekkleysa run record stores in Reykjavik.

• Bang Studio
• Greenhouse Studios
• Hljodriti (Studio Syrland Hafnarfjordur)
• Medialux HQ
• Orgelsmiðjan
• Studio Syrland
• Sundlaugin Studio
• Gryfjan

• Cronshaw, Andrew (2000). "Waiting for the Thaw". In Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; McConnachie, James; Duane, Orla (eds.). World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East. London: Rough Guides. pp. 168–169. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
• Steingrímsson, Hreinn. Dorothy Stone; Stephen L. Mosko (eds.). Kvædaskapur: Icelandic Epic Song. Archived from the original on 2005-10-13.
• The Icelandic music scene after the economic collapse Archived 2010-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
• The Real Icelandic Music Scene -- REDEFINE magazine
• "ICELAND MUSIC INFORMATION CENTRE". Archived from the original on 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2014-06-23.</ref>
• Benjamin, Tómas Gabríel. "Gourmet Viking Metal". grapevine.is. Retrieved 16 June 2014.
• Reed, Ryan. "Sigur Ros Share Gloomy 'Game of Thrones' Cover". www.rollingstone.com%7caccessdate=16 June 2014.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Music of Iceland.

• Icelandiclyrics.com
• Iceland Music, the music export office of Iceland which includes a comprehensive database of Icelandic music and musicians (in English)
• Kraumur Music Fund, supports Icelandic artists, Björk and Kjartan Sveinsson of Sigur Rós are board members (in English)
• Musik.is: The Icelandic Music Page
• Music From The Moon A scenic documentary movie about music in Iceland & Greenland
• ShopIcelandic Music
• Iceland Airwaves