Sophus (Halfdan) Halle blev født i Rødby på øen Lolland i Danmark. I årene 1879-1882 fik han læreruddannelse på Jonstrup seminarium, hvor han blev undervist i orgel og musikteori af Carl Mortensen. I 1882 blev Sophus Halle ansat som kommunelærer i København og fortsatte sine musikstudier hos Nebelong (orgel) og Otto Malling (teori). Han vikarierede i forskellige kirker og var fra 1896 organist ved Immanuelskirken i København indtil 1905, hvor han blev udnævnt til skoleinspektør ved Hans Tavsens Skole. Samtidig indstillede han sin praktiske musikervirksomhed. Sophus Halle udgav bl. a. en meget udbredt dansk retskrivningsordbog (1904) og deltog i debatten om Laubs reform af kirkesangen, som han var kritisk overfor. Sophus Halle komponerede orgelstykker, sange og salmer. Hans Opus I "Præ- og Postludier for Orgel eller Harmonium" (1892) blev ligesom hans "Modulationslære" - en lærebog i hvordan man modulerer fra en tonart til en anden (1900) - var meget udbredte og kom i flere oplag. Flere af Sophus Halles sange og salmer som f. eks. "Nu falmer skoven" og "Alt staar i Guds Faderhaand" blev også populære uden dog at kunne fortrænge de "gamle" melodier af hhv. Nebelong og Henrik Rung. Sophus Halle komponerede flere samlinger af skolesange for børn og udgav koralmelodier: "Psalmebogens Melodier" (1904) og arrangementer for kor: "Blandet Kor" (1905). Halle var engageret i den folkelige sang bl. a. som medstifter af Dansk Korforening og som medlem af en Sangkommission, der var nedsat af Københavns Skoledirektion.
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Sophus Halle (1862-1924). Sophus Halfdan Halle was born in Rødby on the island of Lolland in Denmark. In the years 1879-1882 he received teacher training at Jonstrup Seminary, where he was taught organ and music theory by Carl Mortensen. In 1882 Sophus Halle was employed as a municipal teacher in Copenhagen and continued his music studies with Nebelong (organ) and Otto Malling (theory). He filled in for various churches and from 1896 was organist at Immanuel Church in Copenhagen until 1905, when he was appointed school superintendent at Hans Tavsens School. At the same time he ceased his practical musical activities. Sophus Halle published, among other things, a widely used Danish spelling dictionary (1904) and participated in the debate about Laub's reform of church singing, of which he was critical. Sophus Halle composed organ pieces, songs and hymns. His Opus I "Preludes and Postludes for Organ or Harmonium" (1892) and his "Modulationslære" - a textbook on how to modulate from one key to another (1900) - were very popular and went through several editions. Several of Sophus Halle's songs and hymns, such as "Nu falmer skoven" and "Alt staar i Guds Faderhaand" also became popular, without, however, being able to displace the "old" melodies of Nebelong and Henrik Rung, respectively. Sophus Halle composed several collections of school songs for children and published choral melodies: "Psalmebogens Melodier" (1904) and arrangements for choirs: "Blandet Kor" (1905). Halle was involved in folk singing, among other things, as a co-founder of the Danish Choir Association and as a member of a Song Commission set up by the Copenhagen School Board.
