Big Blog No.2: The Musical Culture of Iceland

 

Hello everyone! The semester is basically over, can you believe it? For the big blog, I decided to learn about the music and culture of Iceland. I should say that I have literally no connection with Iceland; I just thought it would be a super cool place to look into (no pun intended) . Now, before we dive straight into the music of the nation-state, we should look into the history a bit to understand how Iceland became to be. 

The History of Iceland:

Here is a video to watch to learn some more background information on Iceland. I know it's a long video but don't worry! I'll make a small recap. 

So, to summarize what all was said in the video, Iceland was once thought to be uninhabitable. It is called the land of fire and ice because despite there being active volcanos, it is in the artic circle. Since it is separated from other nation states such as Demark, Sweden, Norway, etc. by the Northern Sea, it is our window to pre-Christian Scandinavian cultures. Icelandic is even the closest language to the old Norse writings used by the Vikings. 

Vikings got their names for the Scandinavians raiding or 'Viking' the Northern European Trade routes. Several sailors came to the island, however, not many stayed because of how cold it was. No one is sure who exactly is the first settlers of Iceland, but for the main settlement Reykjavík, life was extremely difficult. Crops would die in the harsh winters and survival was a struggle. For the demographics, there is genetics evidence that shows a good portion of the people who lived in Iceland were slaves and concubines from Scotland and Ireland. 

A fun fact about Iceland is that it is home to the oldest parliament in the world. Chiefs of the villages would meet for an Althing (Alþingi). The Althing would continue on alongside with other traditional pagan beliefs, rituals, and customs, despite the slow and steady Christianization that was taking place. 

In the early 1500's, Iceland was under the control of Denmark, which wasn't all that great. Lutheranism was imposed and they had a form of mercantilism where trade with northern countries and Iceland could only go through Denmark. Icelanders would earn very little and most of the wealth earned would go back to Danish merchants. Overall, Denmark made growth and prosperity for the Icelandic people seem almost impossible. 

The 1800's would be the start for Iceland's road to independence. It was a long journey but by the end of the 19th century, Iceland was it's own state; However, the king of Denmark still held power over Icelandic rule. Fast forward to World War II where Britain invaded, claiming that Iceland was too valuable to be captured by the Germans. It wasn't until 1944 that Iceland finally became a Republic.

Instruments of Iceland

There are 3 instruments that come directly from Iceland.  

• Langspil: The Langspil is an Icelandic drone zither. It has 1-6 strings and a fretboard. The strings can either be plucked or they can be played with a bow. What makes this instrument even more unique is how it is positioned when playing. It is usually flat on the back. In the video I have, you'll see it is placed on a table. I chose this video because it shows the man both plucking the strings and using the bow so you'll get to hear both sounds.

• Giga: The Giga is a type of lyre that is played with a bow. This instrument is considered extinct but there have been efforts to bring back the Giga in traditional music. The word is a Norse term, meaning 'to vibrate' or 'to move in a fast way'. The name also leads to a type of dance called a Jig! Let me tell you, trying to find a video on an instrument that is extinct is difficult. Luckily, here is one. Unfortunately, I don't speak Icelandic so I cannot translate but if you want to hear the Giga played, skip to 1:22

• Icelandic Fiddle: The Icelandic Fiddle and the Langspil are very similar. Both are instruments played with a bow and are laid flat when played. Usually the Icelandic fiddle has 2 brass strings and the shape is described as box-like. Sadly, not much is known about the fiddle as it, just like the giga, is dying out in usage.

Traditional music of Iceland

Iceland is known for its Sagas. Sagas are heroic ballad poetry and the tradition of singing them (since they are passed down orally) is called rimur. There are some that date back to as far as the 14th century. Traditional Icelandic singing is described as chanting as it walks the fine line between speech and song. 

This next song is an instrumental about the Turkish raids that the ottoman empire controlled where many Icelanders were taken as slaves in the early 1600s. According to to historical accounts, about 400 people were taken captive but only 12 managed to make it back to Iceland. Even though it has a horrible back story of pillaging and abduction, it might just be one of my favorites and I'll explain why.

Listening to this music gave me chills. I'm such a sucker for Fantasy and this sounds like something from the sound track of Game of Thrones or the Witcher. You can hear the string instruments and the chants in the background and ugh, it's amazing. 

Modern Icelandic songs/singers

So! Here we are to modern day music. Now there is pop music and jazz and rock but baby steps! I will show you a couple of bands and singers from Iceland because it was really hard going on to YouTube and looking up 'Icelandic singers' and then getting Swedish and Nordic singers.

• Bjork: What type of Icelandic music blog would this be if it didn't include Bjork. Her music is very abstract as you will here and she does sing a couple of traditional songs! That is why I will not be showing you just 1 but 2 songs by her. One to have you listen to a modern version of old folk music and another just so you can hear some of her more recent stuff. 

 

 

and here is one of her modern songs called "Human Behavior"

 

• Emilíana Torrini: Anyone who is a Lord of the Rings fan knows Emiliana Torrini, even if they don't know Emiliana Torrini. She is the woman who provided vocals for Gollum's song in the sound track. She has a beautiful voice and remember how earlier I said Icelandic music reminded me of fantasy? Well, now we have an Icelandic singer in Lord of the Rings. 

and here is another song by her that is really pretty, it sounds like something I would listen to but the music video is so odd. The singing is haunting and amazing but something about the music video and faces are just so strange. 

• Daði Freyr: To be perfectly honest, this man is so cool. I saw him on Eurovision. He is almost 7' tall, has long hair, and his music video is great. I wanted an excuse to show him to everyone reading this blog because his song is so catchy. I never would have thought that a song like this would have come from Iceland! Also, the woman in the back playing the keytar and wearing glasses? That's his wife.   The others? Those are his friends. He is living his best life.