Arni Ingolfsson

Arni Ingolfsson

Mellon Fellow
The Transmission of Italian Renaissance Music in Scandinavia, 1540-1660
2013-2014 (Sept-Nov)
Arni  Ingolfsson

Biography

Árni Heimir Ingólfsson holds a PhD in historical musicology from Harvard University (2003). He has held positions as Associate Professor of musicology at the Iceland Academy of the Arts and as Programme Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. His primary area of interest is the transmission of music to and within Iceland during the 16th and 17th centuries. His CD recordings (with the Carmina Chamber Choir) of music from Icelandic manuscripts have received outstanding reviews and various awards. Árni currently holds a research position at the Árni Magnússon Institute of Icelandic Studies, funded by the Icelandic Research Fund.

Project Summary

This project involves a broad study of the transmission of Italian Renaissance music and its styles to Denmark and its dominions. In 1599, the Danish monarch Christian IV sent several of his leading composers (including Mogens Pedersøn and Melchior Borchgrevinck) to Venice to study composition with Giovanni Gabrieli. This resulted in several madrigal books, the contents of which require further study with regard to Italian influence.