Róbert Abraham Ottósson (born Robert Abraham; 12 May 1912 – 10 March 1974) was a German and Icelandic conductor, musicologist, and pianist. Born in Germany, he emigrated to Iceland in 1935. He is considered one of the most influential musicians in mid-20th-century Iceland.

Biography

Ottósson was born was born in Berlin, the son of the noted ethnomusicologist Otto Abraham and his wife, Lise Golm. Abraham received a thorough musical upbringing, studying piano and theory at the

Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory The Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory () was a music institute in Berlin, established in 1893, which for decades (until 1960) was one of the most internationally renowned schools of music. It was formed from the existing schools of music of Xaver ...

, and eventually studying composition and conducting at the Berlin Academy of Music. Although Abraham was raised in the Protestant faith, his parents were both of Jewish heritage, and he left Germany in 1934. He initially went to Paris, where he attended a conducting course led by

Hermann Scherchen Hermann Scherchen (21 June 1891 – 12 June 1966) was a German conductor, who was principal conductor of the city orchestra of Winterthur from 1922 to 1950. He promoted contemporary music, beginning with Schoenberg's '' Pierrot Lunaire'', follow ...

. Thereafter he continued to Copenhagen, where he hoped to receive a work permit. He failed to obtain it, despite help from friends and colleagues, including the academic

Lis Jacobsen Elisabeth (Lis) Jacobsen, née Rubin, (29 January 1882 - 18 June 1961) was a Danish philologist, archaeologist and writer. She is remembered first and foremost for her research and publications on the history of the Danish language. Among other b ...

. Consequently Ottósson sailed to Iceland in late 1935, where he would live and work until his death. Ottósson was advised to start a career in the town of

Akureyri Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...

, where he would be attract less scrutiny from police and politicians. Iceland had a strict anti-immigration policy in the years leading up to World War II. Most refugees from Nazi Germany were denied asylum; Ottósson was allowed to stay. He founded his own choir in Akureyri. Opposition from locals, particularly from the composer and conductor

Björgvin Guðmundsson Björgvin Guðmundsson (16 April 1891 – 4 January 1961) was an Icelandic composer. He was born at Rjúpnafell, Vopnafjörður, Iceland, where he grew up. In Vopnafjörður he showed inclination for music, and in his twenties Björgvin moved wit ...

, led Ottósson to move to

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

in 1940. There, he worked as a conductor, pianist, and teacher. Among the ensembles he conducted was the National Radio Choir (1948-1950). He also conducted the first performance of the

Iceland Symphony Orchestra Sinfóníuhljómsveit Íslands (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) (ISO) is an Icelandic orchestra based in Reykjavík. Its primary concert venue is the Harpa (concert hall), Harpa Concert Hall. The Iceland Symphony is an autonomous public institution u ...

in March 1950. In 1959, he became the first conductor of the Philharmonia Choral Society (Söngsveitin Fílharmónía). With them he conducted the Icelandic premieres of many key works, including

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Symphony No. 9 Symphony No. 9 most commonly refers to: * Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) in D minor (Op. 125, ''Choral'') by Ludwig van Beethoven, 1822–24 * Symphony No. 9 (Dvořák) in E minor (Op. 95, B. 178, ''From the New World'') by Antonín Dvořák, 1893 ...

and ''

Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass.Mass
, ''Catholic Encyclopedia''. N.p., Appleton, 1910. 797. and is a genre of < ...

'',

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ( – 6 April 1971) was a Russian composer and conductor with French citizenship (from 1934) and American citizenship (from 1945). He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century c ...

's ''

Symphony of Psalms The ''Symphony of Psalms'' is a choral symphony in three movements composed by Igor Stravinsky in 1930 during his neoclassical period. The work was commissioned by Serge Koussevitzky to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Boston Symphony Orch ...

'',

Carl Orff Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

's ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

'',

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...

Requiem A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is ...

, and

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

' '' A German Requiem''. Ottósson also became a leading musicologist; he defended his doctoral dissertation on the Icelandic rhymed office (Reimoffizium) of

Saint Thorlak Thorlak Thorhallsson ( Icelandic: ''Þorlákur Þórhallsson''; 1133 – 23 December 1193) is the patron saint of Iceland. He was Bishop of Skálholt from 1178 until his death. Thorlak's relics were translated to the Cathedral of Skalholt in 1 ...

(known in Icelandic as Þorlákstíðir) at the University of Iceland in 1959. This was published in the renowned scholarly series ''Bibliotheca Arnamagnæana''. He would later contribute articles on Icelandic music to several leading international publications, including ' and ''

The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ''The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'' is an encyclopedic dictionary of music and musicians. Along with the German-language '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'', it is one of the largest reference works on the history and t ...

''. Also, from 1959, he was director of music for the

Church of Iceland The Church of Iceland (), officially the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (), is the State religion, national church of Iceland. The church is Christian and professes the Lutheranism, Lutheran faith. It is a member of the Lutheran World ...

. He took the Icelandic form of his name, Róbert Abraham Ottósson, after receiving Icelandic citizenship in 1949. He married Guðríður Magnúsdóttir in 1942, and they had one son, Grétar Ottó. Ottósson also composed and arranged works, especially for local choirs. His arrangements include "Vinaspegill (Forðum tíð einn brjótur brands)" and "Björt mey og hrein", which have been frequently performed by local choirs, including the Iceland University Choir and the Hamrahlíð Choir. Original compositions include ''Miskunnarbæn'' (Icelandic Kyrie) and ''Svarkurinn'', the latter to a poem by the Icelandic writer

Grímur Thomsen Grímur Thomsen (May 15, 1820 – November 27, 1896), Icelandic poet and editor, was born in Bessastaðir in 1820. He was the son of Þorgrímur Tómasson, a goldsmith. In 1837, he went to the University of Copenhagen, where he studied law and ...

. His works are published by the Icelandic Music Information Center. Ottósson received several prestigious awards for his work on behalf of Icelandic music. In 1970, for his outstanding work on behalf of music he was made a knight of the

Order of the Falcon The Order of the Falcon () is the only order of chivalry in Iceland, founded by Christian X of Denmark, King Christian X of Denmark and Iceland on 3 July 1921. The award is awarded for merit for Iceland and humanity and has five degrees. Nowaday ...

by the president of Iceland. That year, he was also awarded the "Student Star," an award presented to an outstanding faculty member of the University of Iceland. Ottósson died of a heart attack in

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, Sweden on 10 March 1974, while attending a Nordic hymnology conference. His life and career have been the subject of a radio documentary by the German Deutschlandfunk Kultur (2020), and a biography of Ottósson and other exiled musicians by the Icelandic musicologist Árni Heimir Ingólfsson was published in 2024 to positive reviews.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ottóson, Róbert Abraham 1912 births 1974 deaths German conductors (music) Musicians from Berlin German musicologists German pianists German emigrants German male conductors (music) Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany Berlin University of the Arts alumni Icelandic people of Jewish descent Immigrants to Iceland Naturalised citizens of Iceland Icelandic conductors (music) 20th-century Prussian people Icelandic pianists Musicians from Reykjavík People from Akureyri Recipients of the Order of the Falcon Church of Iceland