Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (Stefánsson) (13 January 1881 – 28 July 1946) [1] was an Icelandic composer and doctor. [2] Unlike the avant-garde composers of his day, he wrote in a traditional romantic style and composed many of Iceland's most famous and widely performed songs, many of which are now wrongly assumed to be folk songs. [3] His particular skill was in capturing the spirit of poems in his melodies, [4] making him Iceland's foremost lyric composer. [5] Since the end of 2016, his works have entered the public domain in Iceland.
He was born in Garðastræti, Vaktarabær in the Grjóta neighbourhood of Reykjavik, [6] the son of Stefán Egilsson, a mason, and Sesselja Sigvaldadóttir, a midwife. [7] He attended the Reykjavík Latin School, matriculating in 1902 and gained a diploma in medicine in 1908 from the medical school in Reykjavik. [7] He then travelled to Denmark, where he graduated in Copenhagen. [7] On 16 September 1909 he married Karen Margrethe Thomsen (née Mengel), a Danish nurse. [8]
Kaldalóns wrote about 350 songs. Among his best-known compositions are:
Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (Stefánsson) (13 January 1881 – 28 July 1946) [1] was an Icelandic composer and doctor. [2] Unlike the avant-garde composers of his day, he wrote in a traditional romantic style and composed many of Iceland's most famous and widely performed songs, many of which are now wrongly assumed to be folk songs. [3] His particular skill was in capturing the spirit of poems in his melodies, [4] making him Iceland's foremost lyric composer. [5] Since the end of 2016, his works have entered the public domain in Iceland.
He was born in Garðastræti, Vaktarabær in the Grjóta neighbourhood of Reykjavik, [6] the son of Stefán Egilsson, a mason, and Sesselja Sigvaldadóttir, a midwife. [7] He attended the Reykjavík Latin School, matriculating in 1902 and gained a diploma in medicine in 1908 from the medical school in Reykjavik. [7] He then travelled to Denmark, where he graduated in Copenhagen. [7] On 16 September 1909 he married Karen Margrethe Thomsen (née Mengel), a Danish nurse. [8]
Kaldalóns wrote about 350 songs. Among his best-known compositions are: