Icelandic composer Helgi Pálsson was born and raised in Norðfjörður, a small fishing town in East Iceland. He showed a keen interest in music from an early age and pursued studies in composition and violin in Reykjavík from 1916-1917. As was sadly the case with many Icelandic musicians of his generation, Helgi was not able to make a living as a musician nor pursue any further studies in the field and spent most of his life working various office jobs. It was not until about twenty years after his initial studies in Reykjavík that he returned as a student in composition at the then newly founded Reykjavík Conservatory. There his mentors encouraged him to write music based in Icelandic folk music. The Six Folk Songs op. 6 are therefore an excellent example of his compositional style. The lyrics of the folk tunes are mostly about life in the countryside of Iceland: the at-times awful weather (nr.4), how fishermen have no choice but to laugh at the dangers at sea (nr. 1), prayers and more optimistic outlooks on life (nr. 2, 3, 6) and about various farm animals, the Icelandic equivalent to Old MacDonald (nr. 5). Hulda Jonsdottir
Classical Music | Violin Music
Helgi Pálsson
Six Icelandic Folk Tunes, Op. 6 Play
Recorded on 03/02/2011, uploaded on 08/16/2011
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Icelandic composer Helgi Pálsson was born and raised in Norðfjörður, a small fishing town in East Iceland. He showed a keen interest in music from an early age and pursued studies in composition and violin in Reykjavík from 1916-1917. As was sadly the case with many Icelandic musicians of his generation, Helgi was not able to make a living as a musician nor pursue any further studies in the field and spent most of his life working various office jobs. It was not until about twenty years after his initial studies in Reykjavík that he returned as a student in composition at the then newly founded Reykjavík Conservatory. There his mentors encouraged him to write music based in Icelandic folk music. The Six Folk Songs op. 6 are therefore an excellent example of his compositional style. The lyrics of the folk tunes are mostly about life in the countryside of Iceland: the at-times awful weather (nr.4), how fishermen have no choice but to laugh at the dangers at sea (nr. 1), prayers and more optimistic outlooks on life (nr. 2, 3, 6) and about various farm animals, the Icelandic equivalent to Old MacDonald (nr. 5). Hulda Jonsdottir
Performances by same musician(s)
Suite Populaire Espagnole
Sonata for violin and piano in G Major
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
Courtesy of International Music Foundation.