1979 in Scandinavian music

The following is a list of notable events and releases that happened in Scandinavian music in 1979.

Events

• 31 March – At the 24th Eurovision Song Contest, Denmark is the best-performing Scandinavian country, finishing 6th. Norway finishes 11th, Finland 14th and Sweden 17th. ^[1]
• 13 September – ABBA begin their third concert tour ^[2] , mainly visiting North America, Europe and Asia during 1979–1980, supporting the group's sixth studio album, Voulez-Vous (1979), and later their compilations Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (1980).

Classical works

• Ulf Grahn – String quartet no 2 ^[3]
• Vagn Holmboe ^[4]
  • Violin Concerto No. 2
  • Notater for 3 trombones (alto, tenor, baritone) and tuba
  • Konstateringer for choir
  • Guitar Sonata No. 1
  • Guitar Sonata No. 2
  • Accordion Sonata No. 1
  • Bogtrykkemaskinen for violin and piano
• Allan Pettersson – Viola Concerto ^[5]
• Einojuhani Rautavaara – Magnificat ^[6]
• Aulis Sallinen – Symphony No. 4 ^[7]

Hit singles

• ABBA – "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" (#1 Belgium, Finland, Denmark, IRE) ^[8]
• Frederik (singer) – "Tsingis Khan" (#14 Finland) ^[9]
• Ted Gärdestad – "Satellit" (#10 Sweden) ^[10]
• Katri Helena – "Katson sineen taivaan" (#3 Finland) ^[11]
• Jan Malmsjö – "Halleluja" (#7 Sweden) ^[12]
• Anita Skorgan – "Oliver" (#6 Norway) ^[13]
• Vikingarna – "Djingis Khan" (#1 Sweden) ^[14]

Hit albums

• ABBA – Voulez-Vous (#1 Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, UK) ^[15]
• Kim Larsen – 231045-0637 (#2 Sweden, #7 Norway) ^{[16] [17]}
• Jahn Teigen – En dags pause (#1 Norway) ^[18]

Film music

• Spede Pasanen – Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit ^[19]
• Janne Schaffer – Repmånad ^[20]

Births

• 26 February – Daníel Bjarnason, Icelandic composer ^[21]
• 8 April – Alexi Laiho, rock musician (died 2020 ^[22]

Deaths

• 7 March – Klaus Egge, Norwegian composer and music critic (born 1906) ^[23]
• 3 April – Ernst Glaser, Norwegian violinist, conductor and music teacher (born 1904) ^[24]
• 12 July – Kalervo Tuukkanen, Finnish composer (born October 1909) ^[25]
• 24 October – Trygve Lindeman, Norwegian cellist and head of the Oslo Conservatory of Music (born 1896) ^[26]

See also

• 1979 in Denmark
• 1979 in Finland
• 1979 in Iceland
• 1979 in Norwegian music
• 1979 in Sweden

References

1. "Jerusalem 1979 – Scoreboard". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
2. "Rolling Stone". The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. 12 May 1979. p. P5. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
3. "String quartet no 2". Swedish Musical Heritage. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
4. Rapoport, Paul (1974). Vagn Holmboe: a catalogue of his music, discography, bibliography, essays (1 ed.). Triad Press.
5. "Allan Pettersson: Concerto for Viola and Orchestra". Issuu. Retrieved 24 July 2025.
6. "Magnificat". Hyperion. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
7. "Symphony No. 4 (1979)". Wise Music Classical. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
8. "UK, Eurochart, Billboard & Cashbox No.1 Hits". MusicSeek.info. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006.
9. Bio Archived 2018-05-15 at the Wayback Machine , Frederik official website(in Finnish)
10. Gärdestad, Kenneth; Liimatainen, Keijo (2005). Jag vill ha en egen måne: boken om Ted Gärdestad (in Swedish). Stockholm: Forum. ISBN   91-37-12733-0. SELIBR   9876123.
11. Pennanen, Timo. "Sisältää" (PDF) (in Finnish). p. 126.
12. "Halleluja (song)". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 26 July 2025.
13. "Anita Skorgan". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
14. "Svensktoppen". Sveriges Radio. 1979. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
15. "Official Singles Chart Top 75: 04 February 1979 – 10 February 1979". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 14 February 2017.
16. "Kim Larsen - 231045-0637". swedishcharts.com.
17. "Kim Larsen - 231045-0637". norwegiancharts.com.
18. "En dags pause". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
19. "Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit". Elonet (in Finnish). Retrieved 27 July 2025.
20. "Repmånad" (in Swedish). Swedish Film Database. 23 February 1979. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
21. "Daniel Bjarnason (composer)". Presto Music. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
22. Constantine Mille (17 February 2021). "Alexi "Wild Child" Laiho". The New Englander. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
23. Pedersen, Morten Eide (13 February 2009). "Klaus Egge". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget . Retrieved 25 March 2017.
24. Kortsen, Bjarne (13 February 2009). "Ernst Glaser". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget . Retrieved 19 March 2017.
25. "Tuukkanen, Kalervo". Uppslagsverket Finland. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
26. Karevold, Idar (13 February 2009). "Trygve Lindeman". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget . Retrieved 19 March 2017.