Ole Olsen was a Norwegian organist, composer, conductor and military musician.
Background
Olsen was born in Hammerfest, in the county of Finnmark. His mother died when he was young. His father was Iver Olsen, a craftsman and an amateur musician who played the organ at the local church.
At the age of five he composed his first small piece, and by the age of seven he sometimes stood in for his father playing the church pipe organization
Education
He also studied composition and the organ from Fredrick and Just Lindeman, and sometimes substituted for Just as the organist in the Trondheim cathedral. In 1870, having given up his apprenticeship, he moved to Leipzig where he studied under Oskar Paul at the music conservatory until 1874.
Career
From a young age Olsen learnt to play the piano and the violin. In 1865 Olsen went to Trondheim as apprentice to a craftsman. There he wrote his, and began his opera Stig Hvide.
In 1874 he became a teacher in Christiania (now Oslo), where he spent most of the rest of his life.
He conducted the Christiania Artisans" Choral Society from 1876–1880, the Society orchestra from 1877–1880, and the freemason"s orchestra from 1894–1908. From 1884 he was the music director of the Akershus 2nd Brigade.
From 1899–1920 he was a music inspector. He died in Oslo in 1927.