 He was the son of Ole Nilsson Dvergsdalen(1815-1872) and Orlaug Andersdatter Haarklou (1808-1870).He went to Balestrand lærerskole, then attended the Stord lærerskole where he graduated in 1868.He studied organ and harmony in Drammen, then in 1872 studied with Ludvig Mathias Lindeman in Christiania (now Oslo).