One of the most celebrated Christmas hymns in Iceland, popular since the 1940s, is “Kvæði af stallinum Kristí sem kallast vöggukvæði” [Poem on Christ’s Crib, called a lullaby] by the Reverend Einar Sigurðsson at Eydalir (1538–1626). The hymn was first printed in
Ein Ny Wiisna Bok[A New Book of Poems], commonly known as
Vísnabók 1612or
Vísnabók Guðbrands, published by Bishop Guðbrandur Þorláksson at Hólar in 1612 (edited with modern Icelandic orthography in 2000). In the beginning of the 1940s, the composer Sigvaldi Kaldalóns (1881–1946) composed a melody to the hymn which quickly gained popularity. A few years later, seven of the hymn’s 28 verses were included in the Icelandic Lutheran Church’s hymnbook and the hymn has since then been regularly performed…
1978 words
Citation: Sigurðardóttir, Þórunn. "Einar Sigurðsson". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 February 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=14855, accessed 06 October 2024.]