Einar Sigurðsson

Þórunn Sigurðardóttir (University of Iceland)
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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 1612

or

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.]

14855 Einar Sigurðsson 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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