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Podcast: New Books in Biography & Memoir
Episode: Ćrni Heimir IngĆ³lfsson, "JĆ³n Leifs and the Musical Invention of Iceland" (Indiana UP, 2019)
Description: InĀ JĆ³n Leifs and the Musical Invention of IcelandĀ ļ»æ(Indiana University Press, 2019), Ćrni Heimir IngĆ³lfsson provides a striking account of the dramatic career of Iceland's iconic composer. Leifs (1899ā1968) 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.ļ»æ
In addition to exploring Leifs's career, IngĆ³lfsson provides detailed descriptions...