Deep freeze : the social and musical impact of the I{u00F0}unn Society on the Icelandic r{u00ED}mur tradition

• Main Author: {U00D3}Lafsd{U00F3}Ttir, Ragnhei{U00F0}Ur
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: The Australian National University 2011
• Subjects: R{u00ED}mur; Icelandic poetry History and criticism; Folk music Iceland Reykjav{u00ED}k; Nation-building History 20th century.Iceland; Reykjav{u00ED}k Iceland Social life and customs; Iceland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.25911/5d611aa5aca51; https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/150262

The I{u00F0}unn Society of Intoners and Versifiers, Kv{u0153}{u00F0}amannaf{u00E9}lagi{u00F0} I{u00F0}unn, was founded in Reykjav{u00ED}k, Iceland in 1929. The founders had migrated from the rural areas at the beginning of the century, looking for work. This study analyses how the I{u00F0}unn Society shaped the r{u00ED}mur tradition. R{u00ED}mur are regarded as part of Iceland's literary heritage, documented in written manuscripts with the oldest one dating from around 1380. Historically, r{u00ED}mur were performed by one person using her, or his, own melodies. The melodies were orally transmitted and would change according to the prosody. The audience were the inhabitants of the Icelandic farmhouse, while they sat working (knitting, spinning, etc.) in the evening. These evening sessions were called kv{u00F6}ldvaka and the performance venue used to be the ba{u00F0}stofa, the main room in the old turf farmhouse, where most of the inhabitants would sleep, eat and spend their indoor-time. Moving from the rural to the urban areas meant a drastic change, not only for the members but also for the tradition itself, as it now became entertainment at a social gathering. This study illuminates how the r{u00ED}mur tradition was shaped by the I{u00F0}unn Society in the context of nation-building, class and power. At the same time this is a discussion about tradition and traditionalism. The I{u00F0}unn Society took strong ownership of the r{u00ED}mur tradition, but was mainly concerned with the performance aspect. In order to preserve the melodies, they recorded 200 r{u00ED}mur melodies in 1935. The study analyses the melodies, compares them to another source of folk songs {u00CD}slenzk {u00FE}j{u00F3}{u00F0}l{u00F6}g, and examines the conduct of I{u00F0}unn. The expression 'Deep Freeze' contains the essential truth about the history of I{u00F0}unn's dealings with the rimur tradition: freezing may preserve but it also immobilizes, while a thaw offers at least the chance of reincarnation into a renewed life.