Ég tala ekki íslensku: Exploring the performance of Icelandic mixed-voice choral music for non-Icelandic speaking conductors and singers

Abstract

Icelandic mixed-voice choral singing has a short history compared to other Western European countries as singing in more than two voice parts was not commonplace until the twentieth century. Traditional Icelandic vocal music is most closely aligned with the song traditions of Norway and the Faroe Islands, although each has evolved differently resulting in a specialised, and some say, unique Icelandic mixed-voice choral sound within the Nordic countries. The key factors that have shaped Iceland’s choral music include the integration of distinctly identifiable musical characteristics from Iceland’s ancient musical heritage; the characteristics of modern Icelandic with its inherent rhythms, syllabic emphasis, aspirations, and pitch variations, combined with a vocal quality that is transmitted between generations of singers.

Since the 1970s, mixed-voiced choirs such as Hamrahliðakórinn, Hljómeyki and Schola Cantorum Reykjavicensis have toured regularly to Europe and the USA, performing Icelandic compositions that have generated interest from international choral communities. Compositions range from technically undemanding settings through to complex works. However, it is the pronunciation of the language, a cornerstone of the Icelandic choral sound, that seems the main barrier to performances beyond Iceland’s shores. Through my own conducting practice, interviews, a review of the known literature, recordings, fieldwork (observation of rehearsals and performances), and analysis, the nuances of performance are explored. The resulting dissertation explores the background to the specific sound of Icelandic choral music with reference to Iceland’s music traditions and proposes solutions to overcome interpretative challenges faced by non-Icelandic conductors and singers when programming contemporary Icelandic mixed-voice art music.