Jórunn Viðar (7 December 1918 – 27 February 2017) was an Icelandic pianist and composer.

Biography

Jórunn Viðar was born and grew up in Reykjavík,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

. In 1937 she graduated from Reykjavík Grammar School, and the same year travelled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

to study for two years at the Music Academy in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. She returned to Iceland and married Lárus Fjeldsted (1918–1985). In 1946 the family spent some time in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where she studied composition at the

Juilliard School of Music The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

; after they moved back to Iceland, Jórunn worked as a pianist and accompanist. She was awarded the Order of the Falcon, Knight's Cross class (''Riddarakross''), for accomplishments in music.

Works

Jórunn Viðar has written a number of compositions based on Icelandic folk songs. She also composed music for the film ''Síðasti bærinn í dalnum'' (The last farm in the valley). Selected works include: *''Gestaboð um nótt'' (Text: Einar Bragi Sigurðsson) *''Glugginn'' (Text: Halldór Kiljan Laxness) *''Hvítur hestur í tunglskini'' (Text: Aðalsteinn Kristmundsson) *''Im Kahn'' (Text: Cäsar Flaischlen) *''Júnímorgunn'' (Text: Tómas Guðmundsson) *''Kall sat undir kletti'' (Text: Halldóra B. Björnsson) *''Mamma ætlar að sofna'' (Text: Davið Stefansson) *''Sönglað á göngu'' (Text: Valgarður Egilsson) *''Þjóðvísa'' (Text: Tómas Guðmundsson) *''Únglíngurinn í skóginum'' (Text: Halldór Kiljan Laxness) *''Varpaljóð á Hörpu'' (Text: Jakobína Sigurðardóttir) *''Við Kínafljót'' (Text: Þorgeir Sveinbjarnarson) *''Vökuró'' (Text: Jakobína Sigurðardóttir) (covered by

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

on her album '' Medúlla'') *''Vorljóð á Ýli'' (Text: Jakobína Sigurðardóttir) *''Það á að gefa börnum brauð'' (Text: Unknown) *''Vort líf'' (Text: Aðalsteinn Kristmundsson) Some of her compositions have been recorded and issued on CD, including: *''Vidar - Orchestral Works'' (2003) Smekkleysa, ASIN: B0000D9Y6S *''Tapestry of Dreams'' (2003) Smekkleysa, ASIN: B0000AQVMO

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vidar, Jorunn 1918 births 2017 deaths 20th-century classical composers Women classical composers Jorunn Vidar Jorunn Vidar Juilliard School alumni 20th-century women composers Icelandic expatriates in Germany Icelandic expatriates in the United States