Magnús Blöndal Jóhannsson (8 September 1925 - 1 January 2005)
was an Icelandic composer, pianist and conductor.
Jóhannsson studied with Franz Mixa and Victor Urbancic at the
Reykjavík College of Music (1935–7, 1939–45) and with
Bernard Wagenaar and
Marion Bauer at the
Juilliard School (1947–53). He was active as
répétiteur and
conductor
Conductor or conduction may refer to:
Music
* Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra.
* ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas
* Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
at the
Icelandic National Theater
The National Theatre of Iceland (NTI) ( is, Þjóðleikhúsið, pronounced ) in Reykjavík, is the national theatre of Iceland.
The theater, designed by Guðjón Samúelsson, was formally opened on 20 April 1950. Since 2020, the artistic directo ...
(1956–61),
and was a producer at the Icelandic State Broadcasting Service (
RÚV) until 1974;
Jóhannsson was also a founder member of Musica Nova in 1959. After a period in the United States, (1977–87), he took up residence again in Iceland.
In the 1950s and early 60s, Jóhannsson was at the forefront of the Icelandic avant garde. His ''Fjórar abstraksjónir'' (‘'Four Abstractions’', 1950) for piano was the first Icelandic 12-note composition;
he was also a pioneer in
electronic music, composing his Elektrónísk stúdía for woodwind quintet, piano and tape in 1958.
In 1971 Jóhannsson stopped composing for almost a decade; this extended silence was eventually broken with his Adagio (1980) for strings,
celesta
The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ( ...
and percussion, which marks a significant stylistic shift in his music. Like the works which followed, it abandons his earlier experimental style for a more simple, neo-romantic
lyricism.
In 1995 Jóhannson handed over his works to the
National and University Library of Iceland for preservation.
References
{{Authority control
Icelandic composers