Harp Making in
Late-Georgian London
At the end of the eighteenth century, after the French Revolution, the centre of pedal-harp making moved from Paris to London. There, building on the work of its Bavarian originators and Parisian developers, mainly immigrant makers elevated the instrument to new musical, technical, and decorative heights, and placed it in the hands and salons of the British upper classes and aristocracy. Until recently, the story of harp making in England has been dominated by the Erard family who built about 7,000 of an estimated 15,000 harps made in London during the nineteenth century; some 20 other makers have been all but forgotten.
This book, the story of harp making in late-Georgian England, assesses the role and consumption of the harp in society whilst describing its decorative and technical development. Forgotten makers and their innovations are identified. Through the lens of newly discovered documents and the reinterpretation of others, Jacob Erat's manufactories are reconstructed. His working methods, illustrative of those used in the wider industry, are rediscovered, and employees and suppliers are revealed anew.
ISBN: 9781527265110
428 pages
Price: £60
Harp Making in
Late-Georgian London
At the end of the eighteenth century, after the French Revolution, the centre of pedal-harp making moved from Paris to London. There, building on the work of its Bavarian originators and Parisian developers, mainly immigrant makers elevated the instrument to new musical, technical, and decorative heights, and placed it in the hands and salons of the British upper classes and aristocracy. Until recently, the story of harp making in England has been dominated by the Erard family who built about 7,000 of an estimated 15,000 harps made in London during the nineteenth century; some 20 other makers have been all but forgotten.
This book, the story of harp making in late-Georgian England, assesses the role and consumption of the harp in society whilst describing its decorative and technical development. Forgotten makers and their innovations are identified. Through the lens of newly discovered documents and the reinterpretation of others, Jacob Erat's manufactories are reconstructed. His working methods, illustrative of those used in the wider industry, are rediscovered, and employees and suppliers are revealed anew.
ISBN: 9781527265110
428 pages
Price: £60
Writing. Goleen, West Cork, Ireland. 2016
Preparing soundbox wings for a 41-string Progress double-action harp (extended soundboard) at Pilgrim Harps, South Godstone, Surrey, U.K., 1996
Working on the body of a 41-string Progress double-action harp (extended soundboard) at Pilgrim Harps, South Godstone, Surrey, U.K., 1996
In 2016 I received a Let Teacher's Shine Award for work on communication with autistic teenagers, and in 2019 I won the Terence Pamplin Award for Organology from The Worshipful Company of Musicians. My first book, Mizen: Rescued Folklore, Histories and Songs from Ireland's South West was published in 2019, and my new book, Harp Making in Late-Georgian London, will be available in the summer of 2020.
About
Tutored by Gordon Davey R.A., I made my first harp in 1990. Between 1992 and 1995 I studied musical instrument making (BSc (Hons) Music Technology) at London Guildhall University (now London Metropolitan University) followed by a short stint at Pilgrim Harps, Surrey, England. In 2000 I retrained as primary school teacher and since have specialised in special educational needs. Following the discovery of the lost papers of Jacob Erat's harp company, I returned to London Met in 2008 where I completed an MA. Between 2010 and 2017 I undertook an AHRC funded PhD, graduating in 2018.