Harald Henschien

Harald Trygve Henschien (May 6, 1902 – June 21, 1968) was an accordionist, composer, accordion manufacturer, editor, and the founder of the music magazine Rytme (Rhythm). He started his career as a performing musician at age 13 The company offered musical material (recorded music, music booklets, sheet music, etc.) and photography material. He also founded his own accordion factory at the site.

Henschien started appearing on radio in 1925, and in 1928 he started the Henschien Trio (Henschiens Trio) together with the violinist Trygve Olai Johannessen and pianist Gunnar Søberg. During its 22 years of operation, the factory produced 6,810 accordions, divided into twelve models. Several of the models were produced in such small numbers that today they are regarded as unique collectibles. The most popular model was the "Hensch," and 3,948 of them were produced. The rarest was the "Henschien Special," of which only 10 to 20 were produced.

The magazine Rytme (Rhythm) was founded in 1941, during the Second World War, with a hiatus in 1943 and 1944 because of a lack of paper. Today, it is considered an important source of early popular music because it contained not only material about accordion music, but also about popular music at that time. Rytme was published for over 20 years, and it was edited by Leif Berg (1900–1955), who was succeeded by Arnt Haugen (1928–1988) from 1955 to 1962.

By the time accordion production was discontinued in 1958, Henschien himself had been ill with Parkinson's disease for several years. He died in 1968, at the age of 66. The music store continued to be operated by his family (his daughter and her children) for many years after his death.