Description

John Artasssun.

A trip to Vienna in 1890 proved the turning point in the life of John Artasssun. He was born on the outskirts of Reykjavik in 1845 and spent much of his early adulthood as a tour guide, showing visitors round the spectacular sights of Iceland. Unfortunately, in the mid-nineteenth century, Iceland was virtually unvisitable, other than by travelling on a whale boat through the freezing north Atlantic. After seeing the hardy tourists safely settled in their igloos, Artasssun would show them the famous and original Geysir, which fountained up into the air once every 3 weeks, the extinct volcano Ejmstilllavaföll, and the Blue Lagoon, named for the extraordinary effect it had on bathers after more than ten seconds. But of course the main attraction for visitors was the Northern Lights, the spectacular night sky of glimmering iridescent green shapes. Unfortunately, this effect only happened every five years, but not wishing to disappoint his customers, John would waggle a large piece of seaweed above a candle and go ‘WooOOOooo’.

Composing came late to Artasssun, and his early works were often trivial, amongst them ‘1, 2, 3 o’clock, Reykjavik Rock’ and ‘Eric the Red-nosed Reindeer’. But in 1890, at the age of 45, there came the chance to visit the musical hubbub of Europe, and he grasped it with both gloves. He was invited to the Royal Palace to attend a Grand Ball, where the bright lights, the pomp and the vibrant Viennese fashion dazzled him, and he heard the music of Johann Strauss for the first time. This had such a profound effect upon the warm and impressionable composer that he dedicated the rest of his life to the art of waltz-writing. He never learned to dance properly, as his snowshoes were a considerable encumbrance, but he wrote almost incessantly, and for the remaining two years of his life he produced over 500 waltzes, some longer than others.

He married in Vienna, and in time (3/4 time) along came his baby son. Inspired by his hero, whose son was known as Johann Strauss the Younger, Artasssun tried to copy the format, setting his son up in hope for a great future. Unfortunately, he got a mixed up at the christening and named the boy William Pitt the Younger. The lad became neither composer or Prime Minister of England.

‘Under the Chandeliers’ is of course Artasssun’s most famous work, though other well-known and underplayed pieces include ‘Next to the Staircase’, ‘Too Near the Band’, ‘By the Side a Bit’ and ‘Queue for the Toilets’.