Jón Leifs (May 1, 1899 - July 30, 1968) was an Icelandic composer. He left Iceland in 1916 to study in Germany at the Leipzig Conservatory. He graduated in 1921 having studied piano, and then devoted his time to conducting and composing. He became successful as a conductor, and also as a writer. May 1 is the 121st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (122nd in leap years). ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... July 30 is the 211th day (212th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 154 days remaining. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Iceland - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... 1921 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

He married a Jewish pianist, Annie Riethof, and had two daughters, Snót and Líf. He lived in Wernigerode and subsequently in Baden-Baden. His family was harassed by the Nazis. In 1944 he moved to Sweden, and in 1945 he moved back to Iceland. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Wernigerode Castle Wernigerode is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. ... Map of Germany showing Baden_Baden Baden_Baden is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige  listen) is a Nordic country in Scandinavia, in Northern Europe. ... 1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

He eventually divorced his wife.

One of his daughters, Líf, drowned in a swimming accident off the coast of Sweden, and he wrote his string quartet Vita et Mors in her memory.

His last work, Consolation, Intermezzo for string orchestra was written as he was dying. He died of lung cancer in Reykjavík in 1968. See also: Reykjavík, Manitoba in Canada Reykjavík is the capital of Iceland, its largest city and the northernmost capital city of a nation. ... 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ...

Leifs and his wife are the subjects of the film Tears of Stone (1995), directed by the Icelandic director Hilmar Oddsson.

Leif's works include:

• Torrek - Intermezzo (piano piece)
• Studies for solo violin, Op 3
• Trilogia piccola (1920-1924)
• Overture to 'Loftr', Op 10
• Icelandic Folk Dances, Op 11
• Trois peintures abstraites, Op 44 (Prjù óhlutræn málverk)
• Mors et Vita, Op 21 (1st string quartet)
• Requiem, Op 33
• Vita et Mors, Op 36 (2nd string quartet)
• Baldr
• Saga Symphony
• Geysir, Op 51 (1961)
• Hekla, Op 52 (1964) for orchestra and percussion
• Elegy, Op 53
• El Greco, Op 64 (3rd string quartet)
• Consolation, Intermezzo for string orchestra, Op 66 (1968)

External links

• Jón Leifs (http://www.jonleifs.is/english/index_e.html)
• Baldr  (http://www.musicalobservations.com/cp2_106_7.html)