Carl Nielsen's sealed letters opened
After 50 years in a sealed envelope, a series of letters are now available to researchers and the public. Hopefully the letters provide new insights into Carl Nielsen's close relationships and life.
Photo: Det Kgl. Bibliotek
Published 07 January 2026 | Revision 20 January 2026
Since 1976 47 letters have been kept in a closed, sealed envelope at Royal Danish Library. The letters are to and from the famous Danish composer Carl Nielsen and his inner circle. No one has been allowed to read them – until this year. They were submitted with the clause that the contents would be kept secret for 50 years.
““When material is submitted to Royal Danish Library with a clause, the donor can be confident that the agreement will be respected. Today, the country's Carl Nielsen researchers enjoyed an extra Christmas Eve, which they have been waiting for a long time. It is a great joy to finally be able to provide access to new source material. And it is a beautiful example of how we both look after the cultural heritage and – when the time is right – make it available so that new knowledge can arise,
On 6 January 6 2026, Bjarke Moe, senior researcher at Royal Danish Library, and Michael Fjeldsøe, head of the Carl Nielsen Centre at Museum Odense, opened the treasures for the first time. And it was with great excitement that the envelope was carefully cut open, because not even Royal Danish Library's employees knew what they would find behind the seal.
““These must have been letters which the family who handed over the material at the time found important to preserve for posterity, but at the same time letters which could not bear the light of day right away. Now we finally know that they are mainly letters to and from Ove Jørgensen, who was a personal friend of Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen, with whom they shared much about their private lives,
For the researchers, the work now begins by delving deeper into what the letters tell us.
The sealed envelope has been placed inside an acid-free box for years to protect the letters as best as possible, without opening the envelope. Now the letters can be repackaged so that they are even better preserved for posterity. After that, they can be ordered to Royal Danish Library's reading room by our users.