Sveinbjornsson was an Icelandic composer whose music was always described by Icelanders as too Continental or English and by the English as filled with Norse idioms. The primary compositions of Sveinbjornsson were vocal pieces with piano accompaniment. These works can be described as lyric and perhaps too emotional for critical taste. In his piano pieces he borrowed heavily from Icelandic folk songs as was the case in his works for orchestra, the "Two Icelandic Rhapsodies." Much of his piano music was written for didactic purposes, particularly the collection entitled "Descriptive Pieces for the Young." The most famous of Sveinbjornsson's compositions is the hymn he wrote for the one thousandth anniversary of the Norse settlement of Iceland for it became the Icelandic National Anthem. Sveinbjornsson did not decide to pursue a musical career until 1867. He first studied with Ravn in Copenhagen and then with Reinicke in Leipzig. He also taught privately in Edinburgh to earn money for his studies. As a pianist and lecturer Sveinbjornsson was an active performer who toured extensively in the United States and Canada. ~ Keith Johnson, Rovi