Halfdan Kjerulf

His early education was at Christiania University, for a legal career,[2] but his studies ended in 1839 as a result of illness, and the next year he spent some time in Paris.

Soon after his return his father and two siblings died and he took a job as a journalist at one of Oslo's main newspapers, Den Constitutionelle where Andreas Munch (1811–1884) was editor and where Kjerulf worked until 1845.

[2] He was counted among those in the Modern Breakthrough movement in literature, painting and music which was replacing romanticism within Scandinavia.

For many years after his return to Norway, Kjerulf tried in vain to establish regular classical concerts, while he himself was working with Bjørnson and other writers at the composition of lyrical songs.

[2] Edvard Grieg was an enthusiastic admirer of it and he was undoubtedly influenced by it in writing his Lyric Pieces.