Karl Marius Anton Johan Hals (27 April 1822 – 7 September 1898) was a Norwegian businessperson who co-founded the piano manufacturer Brødrene Hals. He also served as a members of the Norwegian Parliament with the Conservative Party.

Background

Hals was born at Sørum in

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

, Norway. He was the son of Caspar Andreas Hals (1772-1846) and Martha Maria Nilson (Nielsen) (1787-1828). His father was a colonel and later customs inspector. When his father was appointed customs inspector in Christiania (now Oslo) in 1828, the family moved there. He was a student at the Oslo Cathedral School and attended Strøms Military Institute which he resign in 1840. Together with his younger brother Petter Martin Emil Nilson Hals (1823-1871),Norwegian piano factories
/ref> he took a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, Shipbuilding, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. ...

's education between 1840 and 1842. After this, Karl Hals spent time in Copenhagen and Hamburg to learn the skill of piano building.

Career

He then returned to Christiania to found the piano factory ''Brødrene Hals'' in 1847 together with his brother. Originally they employed only one person; in 1866 this number had risen to 36.''Brødrene Hals''
Tronds Pianoservice They production facilities were moved around in the early years, eventually settling at the site of the later

Hotel Continental A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

. His brother died in 1871, however Karl Hals had several sons and grandsons who became involved in the company as managers and owners. By 1897, a year before the death of Karl Hals, the company peaked at 100 employees. It delivered pianos not only to Scandinavian customers, but also to the United States and Australia. One piano is on exhibit in the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology. From 1887 to 1908 the company also ran a music store and a concert bureau. Hals was the chairman of the employers' organisation ''Den Norske Haandvaerks- og Industriforening, Christiania'' from 1878 to 1897. In addition he was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1889, representing the constituency of ''Kristiania, Hønefoss og Kongsvinger''. He only served one term.Karl Marius Anton Johan Hals
– Norwegian Social Science Data Services (NSD)

Personal life

In 1851, he married Thora Alvilde Christina Svanekiær (1820-1904). Their daughter, Marie, married the musician Ole Olsen.Ole Olsen biography
at the Music Information Centre, Norway Hals was proclaimed Knight of the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav in 1874, and in 1889 he was upgraded to Commander of the same order. He was also Commander of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

as well as Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hals, Karl 1822 births 1898 deaths People from Sørum People educated at Oslo Cathedral School Norwegian businesspeople Piano makers Conservative Party (Norway) politicians Members of the Storting Politicians from Oslo Knights of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog Recipients of the St. Olav's Medal Burials at the Cemetery of Our Saviour