Notes on Oscar Ahnfelt from Sing It Again
Although the parish [in which Ahnfelt’s family lived] was near an area strongly influenced by Herrnhut piety, Jonas Ahnfelt had no sympathy for Moravians or Pietists. The atmosphere of the home was cultured, and eminent people were frequent guests. The young Ahnfelt grew up with good music and literature. He received most of his elementary education from his older brothers . . . .
[He] became active in the conventicle movement, playing his ten-stringed guitar and singing, earning him the name “spiritual troubador.” . . . Because of the Conventicle Edict, Ahnfelt frequently was harassed by the police, was often summoned for court appearances, and on several occasions paid fines. At one time the authorities petitioned King Karl XV to put an end to his preaching and singing. The king refused to act without hearing the “spiritual troubador,” and Ahnfelt put on a command performance at the royal palace. He sang a song that his friend, Lina Sandell, had written for the occasion:
Who is it that knocks upon your heart’s door
in the peaceful eve?
Who is it that brings to the wounded and sore
the balm that can relieve?
Your heart is still restless, it finds no peace
in earth’s pleasures;
Your soul is still yearning, it seeks release
to rise to the heavenly treasures.
The king listened with tearful eyes. He grasped Ahnfelt’s hand and exclaimed, “You may sing as much as you desire in both of my kingdoms.”
. . . This [Ahnfelt’s Andeliga Sånger] was followed by eleven editions appearing at intervals until 1877, when a total of two hundred songs was included. None of the texts were by Ahnfelt, but of the 143 tunes almost half of them were his originals. (Sing It Again, pp. 234, 235, published by Covenant Press)