Sigvaldi Kaldalóns
Illustration — Sigvaldi Kaldalóns Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (Stefánsson) (13 January 1881 – 28 July 1946) was an Icelandic composer and doctor. 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. His particular skill was in capturing the spirit of poems in his melodies, making him Iceland's foremost lyric composer.
Sigvaldi Kaldalóns
[1] · Public domain
- Born
- 1881 · Reykjavík.
- Died
- 1946 · Iceland.
- Nationality
- Iceland
- Occupation
- physician · composer
- Languages
- Icelandic
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Documentary summary
Illustration — Sigvaldi Kaldalóns Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (Stefánsson) (13 January 1881 – 28 July 1946) was an Icelandic composer and doctor. 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. His particular skill was in capturing the spirit of poems in his melodies, making him Iceland's foremost lyric composer.
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Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (1881–1946) was an Icelandic composer and physician. Born in Reykjavík, the composer died in Iceland. Languages used include Icelandic.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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Authority files
gnd · 138859965 · wikidata · Q16425921 · wikipedia · Sigvaldi Kaldalóns
In this article
Life
Life
Since the end of 2016, his works have entered the public domain in Iceland.
He was born in Garðastræti, Vaktarabær in the Grjóti neighbourhood of Reykjavík, the son of Stefán Egilsson, a mason, and Sesselja Sigvaldadóttir, a midwife. He attended the Reykjavík Latin School, matriculating in 1902 and gained a diploma in medicine in 1908 from the medical school in Reykjavík. He then travelled to Denmark, where he graduated in Copenhagen. On 16 September 1909 he married Karen Margrethe Thomsen (née Mengel), a Danish nurse.
Works
Works
Kaldalóns wrote about 350 songs. Among his best-known compositions are: • Ave María, to a poem by Indriði Einarsson (instrumental performance by Víkingur Ólafsson available on YouTube) • Ísland ögrum skorið (Iceland Deeply Carved) to a poem by Eggert Ólafsson (performance available on YouTube) • Á Sprengisandi (Ride Hard Across the Sands) to a poem by Grímur Thomsen (performance available on YouTube) • Suðurnesjamenn (performance available on YouTube) • Svanasöngur á heiði (performance available on YouTube) • Heimir (performance available on YouTube) • Erla, góða Erla • Draumur hjarðsveinsins • Þú eina hjartans yndið mitt • Ég lít í anda liðna tíð
Places
Named by the record
Places
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Reykjavík.
Birth place
Iceland.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Sigvaldi Kaldalóns”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q16425921: Sigvaldi Kaldalóns
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 138859965, Sigvaldi Kaldalóns.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Sigvaldi Kaldalóns - Concerts, Biography & News - BBC Music. BBC.
- 2.Júlíana Rún Indriðadóttir. A Journey through the history of Icelandic traditional and classical music. 26 September 2016.
- 3.Guðbergur Bergsson. Grindavík By The Golden Sea. Icelandair Stopover, Winter 2018. 44.
- 4.Icelandic folk song concert. Iceland Review. 2006-11-10.
- 5.Menningar-Staður Merkir Íslendingar - Sigvaldi Kaldalóns. menningarstadur.123.is. 2018-01-13.
- 6.Tónlistarsaga Reykjavíkur: III Tímabilið 1900 – 1930: Sigvaldi Kaldalóns. musik.is.
- 7.J. M. Eggerisson. Sigvaldi St. Kaldalóns, læknir. Óðinn. 89. 1921.
- 8.Iceland Music Information Centre - Originators - Sigvaldi S. Kaldalóns. shop.mic.is.
- 9.Frederick Key Smith. Nordic Art Music: From the Middle Ages to the Third Millennium. Greenwood Publishing Group. 88. 2002. 978-0-275-97399-5.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
authority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 138859965, Sigvaldi Kaldalóns.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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