Carl Warmuth was the son of the German musician Carl Gottfried Warmuth (1811–92), who came to Christiania in 1840 as a member of the music chapel "Harz-Verein" and the same year opened a music store in the city. The son entered the business in 1861, and took it over completely in 1874. The publishing business, which was founded in 1851, was eventually run up to a considerable extent according to Nordic conditions. The business also included a musical rental library and a concert agency. Warmuth also published a number of songs and piano pieces, and was an important person in the music life in Christiania.