Music of Iceland

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.

Chain dances, known as vikivaki, 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 vikivaki 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.

In the following example, taken from the song "Ólafur Liljurós", hákveða is shown in italics: 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).

"Heyr himna smiður" ("Hark, Creator of the Heaven") is probably the oldest hymn which is still sung today; the text was composed by Kolbeinn Tumason in 1208 but the music is much more recent, was written by Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson in 1973.

[3] The music of Iceland includes vibrant folk and pop traditions and is expanding in its variety of sound styles and genres.

Singer-songwriter Ásgeir Trausti did likewise in 2014, and ever since has been successfully touring Europe and the U.S. with his melodic-folk-pop songs, which he sings both in his native language Icelandic and in English.

Her song "Jungle Drum", from her 2008 album Me and Armini, is internationally known and reached number one in the German, Austrian, Belgium and Icelandic single charts.

The alternative and metal scene is vibrant with Icelandic bands playing large festivals in Europe and the United States.

The Viking-Metal Band Skálmöld played two sold out shows with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in the capital's concert hall Harpa in December 2013.

[9] Agent Fresco combine metal, rock and alternative elements with the unique voice of singer Arnór Dan Arnarson and have also gained international attention.

The instrumental post-rock and alternative-rock band For a Minor Reflection is widely known since supported Sigur Rós on tour back in 2009.

Dead Skeletons are not only known for their unique psychedelic-rock sound but also for their artwork and an art gallery in Reykjavik run by front man and singer Jón Sæmundur Auðarson.

Ben Frost, born in Melbourne, living in Reykjavik, is bringing together electronic soundscapes with classical elements and noisy tunes.

Their self-released EP, Stofnar falla, received positive reviews and was followed by their self-titled debut album, released in July 2013.

[17] A significant work of Icelandic origin is Þorlákstíðir, the office for Saint Thorlákur, which survives in a music manuscript from ca.

In recent years, the origins of these works have been traced to well-known songs from continental Europe, such as the famous Susanne un jour by Didier Lupi, which in Icelandic was sung as "Súsanna, sannan Guðs dóm.

Belonging to this first generation of Icelandic composers were Sigvaldi Kaldalóns and Sigfús Einarsson, and Emil Thoroddsen, best known for their songs with piano accompaniment.

The ensemble created for the occasion was given the name Hljómsveit Reykjavíkur (The Reykjavík Orchestra), and performed sporadically in the years that followed under the direction of Sigfús Einarsson and Páll Ísólfsson.

Following the founding of the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service in 1930, and the festivities at the 1000th anniversary of the Alþingi, and through the pioneering work of musicians like Franz Mixa, Victor Urbancic and Róbert A. Ottósson, this ensemble was slowly transformed into the professional symphony orchestra known today as the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

It takes place in the central area of Iceland's capital city Reykjavík for five days at the beginning of November.