{"product_id":"jon-leifs-and-the-musical-invention-of-iceland-hardback-9780253044044","title":"Jón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland (Hardback) 9780253044044","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eJón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eÁrni Heimir Ingólfsson (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780253044044\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 27 September 2019\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e400 pages, 18 music exx., 37 b\u0026amp;w illus.\u003cbr\u003e23.5 x 15.6 x 1.5 cm, 0.794 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Composers of fearsome originality seldom have an easy path in the world. Jón Leifs, who translated the landscapes and legends of Iceland into sound, comes vividly to life in this brilliant, panoramic biography, hismyriad personal and political conflicts delineated with clarity and candor. A major twentieth-century figure at last receives his due.\"—Alex Ross, music critic for \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e and author of \u003ci\u003eThe Rest Is Noise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Árni Heimir Ingólfsson's \u003ci\u003eJón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland\u003c\/i\u003eis a book with three parallel stories, expertly told: a nuanced and detailed look into the life of a composer, the development of Iceland's musical identity through the 20th century — from a 19th century frugality towards its modern rich reputation; and, perhaps most interestingly, the way in which Iceland's relationship to Europe and the world is connected in subtle ways both political and cultural. Árni Heimir takes an unflinching look at Leifs' relationship to the Nazis, not just through the traditional stereotypes of Nordic ethno\/artistic unity, but through a more subcutaneous network of German composers, Nazi cultural ministers, and music critics. Árni Heimir is equally comfortable discussing the minute musical details of Leifs' visionary cantatas and pantomimes as he is teasing out, through letters and diaries the composer's emotional development. \"—Nico Muhly, Composer\u003cbr\u003e \"Jón Leifs was the first major Icelandic composer and it is insane that most of his pieces were not performed or recorded until recently. His works were almost just a myth to us Icelanders and therefore this book is so magnificently important. He pioneered in notating glaciers and orchestrating eruptions, sometimes masterpieces (sometimes not), but he had the courage to embrace the cliché and show us the way. This book is incredibly well written and Árni Heimir's analysis of the music is deeply satisfying. I listened to each work as it was being discussed, which turned the experience from black and white to color! An extraordinary achievement!\"—Björk, singer\/songwriter\u003cbr\u003e \"At last, a thorough account in English of Iceland's foremost composer. \u003ci\u003eJón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland\u003c\/i\u003e expertly teases out the roots of Leifs's music in Iceland's folk traditions, her awe-inspiring landscape and an idiosyncratic, mid-twentieth-century European modernism. Ingólfsson's account of the composer's tortured life, his controversial politics and the uneasy reception of his music is a page turner. This is a book for music lovers and experts alike, and will surely draw many new fans to his music.\u003ci\u003e Claudia Macdonald, Professor Emerita of Musicology, Oberlin College\u003c\/i\u003e \"—\u003cbr\u003e \"A thoroughly absorbing study of a formidable and sometimes troubling figure who possessed one of the more original musical voices of the twentieth century.\"—\u003ci\u003eAlex Ross: the Rest is Noise\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"By intertwining the narrative of Leifs's personal turmoil and joys, political maneuverings, professional strug-gles, and creative triumphs, Ingólfsson allows the full view of Leifs as artist, composer, and man to become discernable. That complete and detailed picture is what makes this biography compelling.\"—Dan White, \u003ci\u003eMusic Reference Services Quarterly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eJón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland\u003c\/i\u003e, Árni Heimir Ingólfsson provides a striking account of the dramatic career of Iceland's iconic composer. Leifs (1899–1968) was the first Icelander to devote himself fully to composition at a time when a local music scene was only beginning to take form. He was a fervent nationalist in his art, fashioning an idiosyncratic and uncompromising 'Icelandic' sound from traditions of vernacular music with the aim to legitimize Iceland as an independent, culturally empowered nation.\u003cbr\u003e In addition to exploring Leifs's career, Ingólfsson provides detailed descriptions of Leifs's major works and their cultural contexts. Leifs's music was inspired by the Icelandic landscape and includes auditory depictions of volcanos, geysers, and waterfalls. The raw quality of his orchestral music is frequently enhanced by an expansive percussion section, including anvils, stones, sirens, bells, ships' chains, shotguns, and cannons.\u003cbr\u003e Largely neglected in his own lifetime, Leifs's music has been rediscovered in recent years and hailed as a singular and deeply original contribution to twentieth-century music. \u003ci\u003eJón Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland\u003c\/i\u003e enriches our understanding and appreciation of Leifs and his music by exploring the political, literary and environmental contexts that influenced his work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Note on Spelling and Naming\u003cbr\u003e Introduction\u003cbr\u003e 1. The Land Without Music (1899–1916)\u003cbr\u003e 2. Years of Study (1916–1921)\u003cbr\u003e 3. Composer and Conductor (1921–1929)\u003cbr\u003e 4. Leifs and the Elements of an Icelandic Style\u003cbr\u003e 5. Icelandic Nation-Building and the 1930 Alþingi Festival (1929–1933)\u003cbr\u003e 6. \"This Music Belongs to Us\" (1933–1937)\u003cbr\u003e 7. Dinosaurs in Berlin (1937–1944)\u003cbr\u003e 8. Guilt and Retribution (1944–1955) \u003cbr\u003e 9. The Final Years (1955–1968)\u003cbr\u003e Postlude: Revival and Influence\u003cbr\u003e Appendix: List of Jón Leifs Completed Works\u003cbr\u003e Selected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Indiana University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52525280231704,"sku":"9780253044044","price":59.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/jon-leifs-and-the-musical-invention-of-iceland-hardback-9780253044044","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}