He worked in a bookstore in Hamburg from 1868, then moved to Essen, Stuttgart, and Hildburghausen.

He returned to Hamburg in 1878, where he was educated in music by Emil Krause, to become a piano teacher.

Much of his work was impressionistic lyric poetry inspired by Liliencron, Richard Dehmel, and Paul Heyse.

He also wrote conservative, "folk" pieces, following Eduard Mörike and Theodor Storm, and children's books in rhyme and prose.

Composers such as Pauline Volkstein set Falke’s texts to music.