He was born on October 15, 1775 in the city of Uusikaupunki, Finland, as a poor bookkeeper. Unable to study music, he learned to play the clarinet with a clarinetist named Westerberg from a shooting battalion. With the help of two benefactors, he joined army orchestras in 1788. In 1791, at just eighteen years old, he was asked to lead the music corps, accompanied by Major Olof von Wallenstjerna. In 1793, Abbe G.J. Vogler, preparing for a concert in Stockholm, appointed him as the first clarinetist in the state orchestra. Studying in Berlin with the famous Franz Tausch in 1798, he perfected his clarinet playing. Later, in 1803, he attended composition classes in Paris. After 1808, he was appointed deputy kapellmeister of the Swedish state orchestra. In 1818, he became the music director of the music corps in both the royal armies and held this position for the rest of his life. He died in Stockholm on July 28, 1838.
