About Oscar Ahnfelt
Lived 1813 – 1882 (aged 69). Oscar Ahnfelt was a Swedish composer, singer, music publisher, preacher, music teacher and musician.
Oscar Ahnfelt (1813–1882) was a Swedish singer, composer and music publisher.
Biography Ahnfelt composed the music for many of Lina Sandell's hymns. He was a pietist, who traveled all over Scandinavia, playing his 10-string guitar and singing her lyrics. The state church authorities did not like pietistic hymns and, anticipating a royal injunction against the singing of Sandell's songs, ordered Ahnfelt to sing them before King Karl XV. But after hearing them, the King announced to Ahnfelt, "You may sing as much as you desire in both of my kingdoms."
Sandell–Ahnfelt hymns have spread throughout the world. Two of the best-known ones in English are Children of the Heavenly Father (Tryggare kan ingen vara)
Jenny Lind, known worldwide as the "Swedish Nightingale", was also a pietist and popularized Sandell's hymns in the United States and wherever she sang. She additionally helped finance Ahnfelt's Andeliga Sånger (Sacred Songs), first published in 1850.
Blott en dag: lyrics by Lina Sandell Guds barn jag är: lyrics by Carl Olof Rosenius Herrens nåd är var morgon ny: lyrics by Lina Sandell I en djup, oändlig skog: lyrics by Carl Olof Rosenius Jag är främling: lyrics by Betty Ehrenborg and Carl Olof Rosenius. Tänk, när en gång det töcken har försvunnit: lyrics by Carl Olof Rosenius Ängsliga hjärta: lyrics by Carl Olof Rosenius Är det sant att Jesus är min broder: lyrics by Lina Sandell
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Important facts
People in Oscar Ahnfelt's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Oscar Ahnfelt's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Oscar Ahnfelt?
Swedish composer and musician
When was Oscar Ahnfelt born?
Oscar Ahnfelt was born on 21 May 1813 in Eslöv Municipality, Skåne.
When did Oscar Ahnfelt die?
Oscar Ahnfelt died on 22 October 1882 in Karlshamn church parish.
What was Oscar Ahnfelt's occupation?
Oscar Ahnfelt was a composer, singer, music publisher, preacher, music teacher and musician.
What nationality was Oscar Ahnfelt?
Oscar Ahnfelt was Swedish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Oscar Ahnfelt. https://biography.guide/oscar-ahnfelt/
MLA: "Oscar Ahnfelt." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/oscar-ahnfelt/.
Chicago: "Oscar Ahnfelt." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/oscar-ahnfelt/.
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