Iceland: Compositions of Jón Leifs



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Drawing from Iceland's folk music, 20th-century composer Jón Leifs is one of Iceland's most distinctive, internationally respected composers. In an effort to develop a musical language reflective of Iceland's culture and heritage, Leifs found source material in traditional rimur folk tunes and medieval liturgical song known as tvisongur. "Childhood," performed in this excerpt by the Yggdrasil Quartet, is part of a larger work dedicated to his prematurely deceased daughter. The music evolves from portraying an infant's unsteady steps to expressing the joy and innocence of early life. The Yggdrasil Quartet was formed in 1990 and has devoted itself specifically to the heritage of Nordic chamber music.

"Bernska (Childhood) from 'Vita et mors, Quartetto II, Op.36'" composed by Jón Leifs, published by Iceland Music Information Center, performed by The Yggdrasil Quartet, from Jón Leifs: The Three String Quartets (Cat.# BIS-CD-691) ©and(p)1994 Grammofon AB BIS, Djursholm. All rights reserved.

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Iceland

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