Holger Drachmann asked The Royal Theatre whether they would be interested in staging the play Hr. Oluf han rider – on the occasion of his birthday. In May 1906, Carl Nielsen accepted the commission to compose the music, but the text needed to be revised before Nielsen could start working on the project. He began with the orchestral Prelude, and when the revised text arrived he worked during July and August with help from his friend Julius Röntgen on finishing the music. The rehearsals began in September. See more about this work at The Royal Library