Gunnar Þórðarson, widely regarded as one of Iceland’s greatest songwriters of the second half of the 20th century, has died at 81. He passed away in Reykjavík in July.
Þórðarson was born in Hólmavík in 1945 and moved with his family to Keflavík at age eight, where his father worked at the local NATO base. The American Army radio station broadcasting from that base became an early and formative influence, exposing him to music rarely heard on Icelandic National Radio at the time. He picked up drums and guitar as a boy, joined his first band at eighteen, and in 1963 co-founded Hljómar with Rúnar Júlíusson, a band that quickly became Iceland’s most popular answer to the Beatles.
Þórðarson began writing his own songs the following year, later citing Burt Bacharach, the Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Brian Wilson as his defining influences. Hljómar’s first single, released in 1965, was an immediate hit, and in 1969 the band merged with another group, Flowers, to form Trúbrot, a supergroup that released three albums before disbanding in 1973. Þórðarson was also a longtime member of the popular folk group Ríó Tríó.
Through the 1970s and 1980s, he built a prolific career as a songwriter, performer, and producer, working with groups including Ðe Lónlí Blú Bojs, Þú og ég, and Lummurnar, alongside widely loved albums of Christmas music and children’s songs. In 1999, he co-founded the guitar trio Guitar Islancio, which released several albums built around arrangements of Icelandic folk songs.
Though largely self-taught as a musician, Þórðarson’s love of classical music led him to formally study harmony and instrumentation later in life, and he went on to compose three major classical works. His mass for soloists, choir, and orchestra, Heilög messa, premiered in 2000, followed by Brynjólfsmessa in 2006. In 2013, he premiered his only opera, Ragnheiður, based on the story of a 17th-century bishop’s daughter, which was met with outstanding reviews and released on both CD and DVD.
Þórðarson’s honors included Iceland’s Order of the Falcon in 2002, a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Icelandic Music Awards in 1996, and recognition as Honorary Artist of the City of Reykjavík in 2014. A biography of his life and career was published in 2021.