The Erard Grecian Harp in Regency England - by Panagiotis Poulopoulos (Paperback)

About the Book

During the early nineteenth century, the harp was transformed into a sophisticated instrument that became as popular as the piano. This was largely the result of the harp's intensive technical, musical and visual upgrading, which gradually led to the transition from the single- to the double-action pedal harp. A major figure in this process was Sâebastien Erard (1752-1831), a tireless inventor and prolific manufacturer of harps and pianos operating branches in Paris and London. With the introduction in 1811 of the so-called 'Grecian' model, the first commercially built double-action harp, the Erard firm managed to establish the harp not only as a novel, state-of-the-art instrument, but also as a powerful symbol of luxury, wealth and status.0Drawing upon a wide variety of primary sources, including surviving instruments, archival documents and iconographical evidence, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the development, production and consumption of the Erard Grecian harp in Regency England. The innovative approaches employed by the Erard firm in the manufacture and marketing of harps are measured against competitors but also against the work of leading entrepreneurs in related trades, ranging from the mechanical devices and precision tools of James Watt, Henry Maudslay or Jacques Holtzapffel, through the ornamental pottery of Josiah Wedgwood, to the clocks and watches of George Prior or Abraham-Louis Breguet. In addition, the book examines the omnipresent role of the harp in the education, art, fashion and literature of the Regency era, discussing how the image and perception of the instrument were shaped by groundbreaking advances, such as the Industrial Revolution, Neoclassicism, and the Napoleonic Wars.

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Deutsches Museum Research Publication Prize 2023.

During the early nineteenth century, the harp was transformed into a sophisticated instrument that became as popular as the piano. This was largely the result of the harp's intensive technical, musical and visual upgrading, which gradually led to the transition from the single- to the double-action pedal harp. A major figure in this process was Sébastien Erard (1752-1831), a tireless inventor and prolific manufacturer of harps and pianos operating branches in Paris and London. With the introduction in 1811 of the so-called 'Grecian' model, the first commercially built double-action harp, the Erard firm managed to establish the harp not only as a novel, state-of-the-art instrument, but also as a powerful symbol of luxury, wealth and status.

Drawing upon a wide variety of primary sources, including surviving instruments, archival documents and iconographical evidence, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the development, production and consumption of the Erard Grecian harp in Regency England. The innovative approaches employed by the Erard firm in the manufacture and marketing of harps are measured against competitors but also against the work of leading entrepreneurs in related trades, ranging from the mechanical devices and precision tools of James Watt, Henry Maudslay or Jacques Holtzapffel, through the ornamental pottery of Josiah Wedgwood, to the clocks and watches of George Prior or Abraham-Louis Breguet. In addition, the book examines the omnipresent role of the harp in the education, art, fashion and literature of the Regency era, discussing how the image and perception of the instrument were shaped by groundbreaking advances, such as the Industrial Revolution, Neoclassicism, and the Napoleonic Wars.

Review Quotes

Reveals how careful attention to the history of a specific instrument yields broader insights into technological change, cultural transformation, and social meaning-making in the early nineteenth century. Panagiotis Poulopoulos has produced a sophisticated and accessible study that will serve as an essential reference for researchers in organology and musical material culture whilst remaining valuable to cultural historians and scholars of the Regency period.-- "MUSIC & LETTERS"

This book contributes much to our understanding of Erard, his influential Grecian model, and the fascinating culture of harp-playing in Regency England. The author was able to connect literary harp references to the Erard harps that were actually played... adding an important dimension to the story, bringing us closer to visualizing the harp and imagining its sound.-- "THE HISTORICAL HARP SOCIETY BULLETIN"

By bringing together a large number of new sources from British archives, Poulopoulos succeeds in vividly tracing not only the extraordinary music-historical significance but also the social developments of the time. In this way, the history of technology, the history of instruments and the social portrait of London society around 1800 are closely interwoven in the gripping narrative.-- "DEUTSCHES MUSEUM PUBLICATION PRIZE COMMITTEE"