The times of King Christian IV
The Danish court had already created a corps of singers and musicians as far back as the middle of the 15th century, and an early high point in Danish musical history was reached under the reign of Christian IV (1588-1648). This multi-talented and active king was visited by the outstanding musicians of the day and by composers from abroad, and also sent young Danes abroad to the wider musical world to complete their training and education.

The Golden Age
Towards the end of the 18th century, a new time of glory began in Danish cultural history, including music, with the period known as the Danish Golden Age. During the Danish Golden Age (1800-1850), music came to play an exceptional role in the development of the national culture - a task that it was allowed to perform all the way from the simplest school lessons to the absolute top of Danish society. This development took its inspiration from the ideas brought back from Berlin in the 1780s by the German composer J.A.P. Schulz (1747-1800). The principal Danish composers of the period were C.E.F. Weyse (1774-1842), Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832), J.P.E. Hartmann (1805-1900), H.C. Lumbye (1810-1874) and Niels W. Gade (1817-1890).

Niels W. Gade
At the beginning of the 1850s, Niels W. Gade (1817-90) returned to his home town of Copenhagen after spending some years in Germany, whereupon he became the undisputed leading figure in a structured consolidation of the musical life of the capital during the second half of the century. This consolidation built upon the groundwork that had been laid during the Golden Age period, but was really based on the educational ideas and Leipzig concerts of Gade's deceased friend and colleague Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

Carl Nielsen
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) was the all-dominating figure in Danish music and musical life from the end of the 1890s until well into the 20th century. He represents the most important figure in the history of Danish music - even if we include the great baroque composer Diderich Buxtehude (1637-1707), who is believed to have been Danish born, and at any rate grew up in Denmark.

By the time that Carl Nielsen took over Gade's role as the primary figure in Danish music at around the turn of the century, the Danish musical landscape was more or less established.  There was a fully developed musical life, with institutions and organisations that enjoyed broad popular and local bases, especially in the area of leisure time music, and particularly in choral singing.