After finishing his fourth symphony and while working on songs for the collections Nye Melodier til de Nyere Sangtekster i Johan Borups Danske Sangbog and En Snes danske Viser 2den Samling, Nielsen composed music for the play Shakespeare. The following year, he re-used the melody for the fifth and last song in his Kantate ved Grosserer-Societetets Hundredaarsfest. See more about this work at The Royal Library