Thorkell Sigbjörnsson (1938-2013)

I only just became aware of this composer. He graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota at about the time that my teachers at the University of Minnesota (Paul Fetler, Eric Stokes, Dominick Argento) were starting to establish their practices.
​Mr. Sigbjörnsson worked tirelessly at the Icelandic Academy of Arts and on Icelandic National Radio as an advocate and curator of the musical life in his native country. Until lately, his music has been little-known. This music from 1981 is experimental for its time and has an audience of less than 10,000 (I'm pretty certain). But the nature of the internet and social media has radically altered the size and nature of his audience in two profound ways:

1. This music is now available for a long time (forever??) via YouTube. The audience will grow by its accessibility over time. I'm happy to help in that regard.
2. A 2013 video of his setting of an ancient Icelandic poem, Heyr, Himna Smi∂ur, has become a sensation on YouTube as a result of an impromptu performance caught on a cellphone in a train station in Wuppertal. The folk pop group, Asti∂ir, sang the music with bare feet, beers in hand and loudspeakers blasting announcements in the background. And yet the music enchanted millions of listeners. Thorkell's creative work continues to change and shape culture because the nature of time and distance and culture have been forever altered. These changes can sometimes be good...