Composed the national anthems of Finland, ("Maamme"/"Vårt land" - Our Land) and Estonia ("Mu isamaa, mu õnn ja rõõm" - My native land, my joy and delight). Both songs have the same melody, but different lyrics.
His compositions include a violin concerto, a symphony, a string quartet and several operas and musical plays.
In 1852 he composed opera "Kung Karls jakt"/"Kaarle-kuninkaan metsästys" (The Hunt of King Charles), for which the libretto was written by Sakari Topelius.