Johan Kvandal was among Norway's most prominent 20th century composers. He wrote music in a nationalist style that was influenced by contemporary composition later in his career, defining his harmonic world as one of modern tonality. Kvandal's early works, such as the Norwegian Overture, Op. 7, showed the influence of Norwegian folk music. Kvandal composed works in most major instrumental media, and he wrote one opera, Mysterier, which was staged in 1994. Among his major works were the Symphony No. 1, Op. 18, and the String Quartet No. 2, Op. 27, which marked his furthest advance in a modernist direction. In later years, his music was in strong demand in Norway, and he was commissioned by major performers and performing organizations. Kvandal died on February 16, 1999. As of the early 2020s, about 50 of his works had been recorded.