Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.04.1983, Qupperneq 6

6-WINNIPEG, FÖSTUDAGUR 15. APRÍL 1983
Icelandic group makes
British Hit Parade
Recént weeks were a triumphant
time for the Icelandic pop band
Mezzoforte. On March 21 the group's
bestselling single disc — with the
tunes Garden Party and Funk Suite
No. 1 — ranked number 17 on the
British singles charts.
Mezzoforte's LPSurprise Surprise
had achieved a British rating of 28 at
the time of this writing. Previously,
no Icelandic group ever made such
headway overseas.
The band played recéntly at the
well-known London club Venue, to
acclaim. x
The group again visited Britain at
the end of last month, to appear on
BBC's Top of the Pops, which could
only boost Mezzoforte's sale. And an
additional trip to the U.K. was plan-
ned for May.
The music that the band plays —
a type of jazz funk — is quite
danceable, which makes it popular
with disco crowds. Foreign critics
give high marks to Mezzoforte's
recordings, and the prospect is that
they will continue to gain ground
abroad.
The Surprise Surprise album has
been issued in Switzerland, West
Germany, Austria, Spain, Holland
and Belgium. Forthcoming soon are
releases of the LP in South Africa,
France, Portugal, Japan, Australia
and the continental Nordic countries.
Good Templars
Continued from page 5
At the beginning of 1903 the build-
ing project was reviewed. The hall
that had been used for meetings was
no longer considered adequate be-
cause of deterioration and remote-
ness from the Icelandic community
which had been shifting from its orig-
inal focal point. A building site was
considered near Sherbrook and Nptre
foame. Although opinion was favóúr-
able towards the location, the cost of
the land was beyond their means and
an alternate site was acquired on
Young St. near Notre Dame at a cost
of $1,700. A down payment of $500
was made and the balance paid in
three months, which was raised
through concerts and donations.
The two lodges, Hekla an<j Skuld,
selected a building committee from
within the memberships of the two
lodges. The strong desire for a perma-
nent home, overcame any acrimony
that may have existed from previous
years. The committee was legally reg-
istered with the province and official-
ly recorded as, "The Icelandic Good
Templars of Winnipeg."
The question of building lay dor-
mant until the spring of 1905. The
Young St. site wns no longer consid-
ered feasible and the lot was sold for
a profit of $900. During the fall a new
site was accquired on the corner of
Sargent and McGee for $1,225.
Building commenced during the
spring of 1906 and the first meetings
were held in the new facility during
January 1907. There was accommo-
dation for 400 people in the smaller
concert hall and 600 in the larger
main hall. The total cost including
furnishing came to $17,612.45.
Viking image
Continued from page 1
bours. Sometimes it backfired as in
the case of Charles the Bold of France
who offered the Dane Weland 5000
pounds of silver and small change to
attack the city of Jeufosse (a viking
settlement.) The people of Jeufosse
changed his mind when they upped
the ante to 6,000 pounds. He turned
against the Franks.
One of the pet peeves of Syms is
the portrayal of Vikings in winged or
horned helmets. He says this is far
from the true helmet worn by vik-
ings. Archaeological evidence shows
that Vikings wore few metal helmets,
but primarily those of leather, and
the evidence does not support the
Hollywood image of wings or horns.
He said the image came as a result
of people wanting to make the Vik-
ings appear more fearsome than they
actually were.
As a final comment Syms urged
JOIN
ICELANDIC
CANADIAN FRÓN
Send membership fee of
$5.00 single or $10.00 family
lo
Post Office Box No. 1
1871 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Man.
R3J 0H0
It was a noble and stimulating ef-
fort that served the Icelandic commu-
nity well for many years. All matters
were conducted in the Icelandic
language. It was the centre that
brought together our people for social
gatherings to enjoy the talents of their
people, whether they were oratorical,
poetical or of a musical nature. It had
a unifying effect..
For many years it was home of the
annual conferences of the Icelandic
National League. With the advent of
World War II the lodges had begun
to decline. The Icelandic language
was no longer the stimulating unify-
ing factor that held our people to-
gether. The descendants of the origi-
nal Icelanders were integrating suc-
cessfully into the Canadian Nation,
that in turn required skills in the
English language. Matters of temper-
ance were no longer an issue as pub-
lic demand called for and effected
more liberal liquor laws. The unity
of purpose and common language
disappeared. This spelled the demise
of the lodges and with that the loss
of ownership of the I.O.G.T. hall on
Sargent and McGee.
The centre of what had been a cul-
tural meeting place disappeared
without fanfare, without protest, not
even*a word of concern of any con-
sequence was expressed publicly.
It was a casualty of the changing
times, as our people becáme more
and more identified as Canadians and
the background of our forefathers be-
comes the heritage we have inherited
during the shifting sands of time that,
mark the latter half of this the
Twentieth Century.
REFERENCES, The Icelandic
People of Manitoba, by W. Kristjan-
son, Minningarrit Stúkunnar Heklu.
those present during the talk to in-
vestigate their Viking heritage and
learn the truth. They are to be proud
of their Viking roots, ánd the accom-
plishments that were made during
the Viking era.
He said the Vikings were not the
barbarians some history books have
called them.
9% •*«. ,• r
X> ' * jh\
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