Upp upp mín sál / Up, up my soul – Hallgrímur Pétursson's Hymns of the passion in the folk music tradition of Iceland

Upp upp mín sál / Up, up my soul (Event in English)
– Hallgrímur Pétursson's Hymns of the passion in the folk music tradition of Iceland

When Hallgrímur wrote the Passíusálmar in the mid 17th century, he indicated specific, existing melodies for them to be sung to. The hymns and their music were widely taken up, and people learned and sang them in their homes. The Passíusálmar achieved great popularity, and over the following centuries the music evolved in the mouths of the people, remaining in an unbroken oral tradition right up to the 20th century, when recordings of people singing them were made. Some old people knew all 817 verses of the 50 hymns. In all there are around 500 archival recordings of over 80 people singing verses from the Passíusálmar. In this talk, English folk musician Chris Foster will play a selection of recordings of people singing some of the hymns. In recent times the practice of singing the Passíusálmar has declined. Maybe it's time to start singing them again, as Hallgrímur originally intended.

More information on Chris Foster can be found on his website: https://www.chrisfoster-iceland.com/

Hallgrímskirkja – Þinn staður!