Background
Landstad lived with his father Hans Landstad (1771–1838) who was also a minister, first in 1806 to Øksnes, to Vinje in 1811 and to Seljord in 1819.
composer musicologist priest poet
Landstad lived with his father Hans Landstad (1771–1838) who was also a minister, first in 1806 to Øksnes, to Vinje in 1811 and to Seljord in 1819.
This work was criticized for unscientific methods, but today it is commonly accepted that he contributed significantly to the preservation of the traditional ballads. He took a theological degree (Candtheol) in 1827, and worked after that as the resident chaplain in Gausdal for six years. After that he worked in different parishes in Telemark, Østfold before he became minister of Sandar in Vestfold in 1859.
The current official church hymnbook contains a lot of his hymns and his translations of foreign hymns.
The Landstad-institute, which lies in Seljord, is named after him. He was a great grandfather of Magny Landstad, also a famous writer
He is well known for introducing popular, contemporary Norwegian language into the hymns he wrote, contributing significantly to the spirit of Norwegian romantic nationalism which grew in Norway in this period.