He was organist at Copenhagen's St. Stephens church from 1917 to 1932 and at the Holmen Church from 1932 to 1947. He taught music theory at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1920 to 1947, also serving on its board of directors. In 1946, he was appointed to the new post of professor of musicology at Aarhus University, where he founded (in 1950) an Institute of Musicology which he directed until 1957. His students included the composers Vagn Holmboe (in Copenhagen) and Bent Lorentzen (in Aaarhus).