Karl Hals

Karl Hals (1822–1898) – a Norwegian piano maker and politician. Together with his brother Petter (1823–1871), from 1847 he ran the firm of Brødrende Hals, producing pianos in Christiania (now Oslo). In 1890, the firm had 100 employees. When his brother died, Karl ran Brødrende Hals on his own. In 1880, the firm opened its own concert hall (known for its good acoustic) and also a concert agency. In 1887, Brødrende Hals also took over the music publishing firm of Petter Håkonsen. In the years 1889–1891, Karl Hals was a member of the Norwegian parliament. Grieg dedicated to him a cantata for mixed choir, solo tenor and piano, to words by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1874).