Steingrímur Kristján Jónasson better known as Steingrímur Hall grew up in a very cultural home in the Garðar settlement in N. Dakota. His father, Jónas Hallgrímsson was uneducated, it was said that he never went to school. That did not stop him from reading books and instructive writings, he collected books and acquired a good library. It is clear that he was gifted with good intelligence, he quickly mastered English and spoke the language better than most of his countrymen in N. Dakota. Among his best friends were Stephan G. Stephansson and Káinn, both frequent visitors to Jónas’ home. Whether they and Jónas’ remarkable library had a great influence on Steingrím in his youth must be left unsaid, but it must be considered probable that all the talk about culture, poetry and songs led Steingrím onto the path of education. While the vast majority of his peers followed in the footsteps of their fathers and became farmers, his mind was elsewhere. He went to the elementary and high schools in Garðar, then at the age of 19 he made the decision to continue his studies. There is a brilliant summary of him and his musical career in the fourth volume of the Vestur-Íslenskar Æviskrár. Let’s take a look at an excerpt: “He moved with his parents from Gimli to Garðar, N. Dakota at the age of three, and lived there until he went to school at the age of 19. Completed 1999 B.M. degree from the Gustavus Adolphus Conservatory of Music in St. Peter, Minn., and spent the next three years in graduate school in Minneapolis and the Chicago Musical College, Chicago, Ill. He graduated there with the highest honors in piano playing, organ playing, music history, acoustics, etc. Teacher of piano and organ playing at the Gustavus Adolphus Conservatory 1902-05. Piano teacher at St. John’s College, Winnipeg, 1905-07. Organist at First Lutheran Church in Winnipeg 1905-35. Member of the Manitoba Music Teacher Association from its foundation and a member for several years of The Imperial Academy of Music. He took an exam in 1928 in the Meissner method of piano teaching. Many of his students have taken exams at the Toronto Conservatory of Music and performed very well. From 1936-54 he prepared students for exams at the University of Saskatoon. Has played a public piano solo with a good reputation and received praise from music critics for his music. Honorary member of The Icelandic Canadian Club. Composition: Icelandic Song Miniatures with English translations, Toronto 1924; Songs of Iceland with English Texts 1953; My God, why hast Thou forsaken me, Wpg, 1924. In addition, many compositions in manuscript. Gave the University of Manitoba 1954 40 volumes of Icelandic songs, including his unprinted musical manuscripts, in memory of his wife”
English version by Thor group.