Music of Iceland

 

 Traditional Icelandic Music: 

Background: 

    Iceland is an Island located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It was founded 1000 years ago before the Viking age of exploration. Unlike many European Countries it is ethnically homogeneous. Icelanders do their best to preserve traditions, customs, and languages. Many still believe in elves, trolls, and other mythical figures. Iceland contains nearly 200 volcanoes of various types. Earthquakes are very frequent but don't typically do much harm. The main Religious practice in Iceland is Lutheran. But Iceland is a country where Religion is a freedom. Because Iceland is surrounded by water fishing is very prominent there. 

 

 

Music Background: 

    Music is extremely important in Iceland. Music originates all the way back to the Vikings who were great musicians. Some of the oldest songs in Iceland trace back to the fourteenth century. The lyrics of these songs are typically about love, life at sea, surviving harsh winters, mythical creatures, and humorous topics. The isolation of the Island caused the music to be different because the musical influences never reached it. A result of this was that songs lasted longer and for the most part stayed untouched. Hákveða was a specific rhythm which a song is sung to. Influences and new types of music found its way to Iceland in the eighteenth century. Churches had a major influence on Icelandic music. Iceland is famous for its heroic ballad poetry, which date back to the Viking era. These were all passed down for centuries orally. Then they started to sing these ballad poems. This would typically be described as a form of chanting, it falls somewhere between song and speech. Iceland's traditional music is very similar to Nordic music forms. 

Performance: 

The first proper orchestral concert was held in 1921 in conjunction with the royal visit of Christian X of Denmark. This event was sporadically performed in the years to follow this. Eventually this concert slowly transformed into the professional symphony orchestra known today as the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra resides in the Harpa, the largest concert house and has weekly concerts.

Icelandic Festivals:    

Iceland hosts a variety of music festivals throughout the years. The biggest festival is Iceland Airwaves with over 9000 guests. This festival takes place in the capital city of Iceland, and takes place for four days. This event occurs every early November, and is very popular. Some other festivals Iceland holds are Dark Music Days, Tectonics, Night of Lights, and Saga Fest. 

Instruments: 

    Many Icelandic songs were a capella, but some on the instruments they typically used were the Icelandic Langspil and the Fiddle. These instruments were used during dances that Icelanders call Vikivaki. These dances have been performed at all different types of festivals since the fourteenth century. 

Modern Icelandic Music: 

    After the eighteenth century when traditional Icelandic music had outsider influence new Instruments came along. Such as the Bagpipes, Accordions, Harmonicas, and Organs. This is also when the radio made its sighting which was a big influence on Icelandic music. Some other instruments that were introduced to Iceland are the Guitar, the Lyre, earth harps, and the Kantele. Icelandic popular music today ranges from Indie to Rock to Pop. It is also becoming recognized for its vibrant and growing Metal and hardcore scene. 

Popular Artist of Iceland: 

Björk is a very popular musician in Iceland. She is a Electronic-Folk music artist. 

Árstíðir is an indie-folk-rock band. All member of this band sing, they are an a capella group. 

Daníel Ágúst is a known solo artist and lead singer of the band GusGus. He is a Pop-Rock music artist.