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
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Harps - and by extension their making - are among the oldest families of musical instruments known to humankind. Most of us recognise the sound of the modern harp, often associated with serenity and calm, but this is only one facet of a far richer and more complex instrument. Far fewer people know how the harps we hear today came to be.​ In this episode of Instrumental, I speak with John Hoare, founding partner and director of Pilgrim Harps, the UK’s foremost maker of folk and concert harps, as he reflects on his retirement after nearly sixty years in the craft. John is a true font of knowledge and one of the most experienced harp makers of his generation.​ We discuss how he first came to make harps, his life in the workshop - rich with wonderful anecdotes - and the future of Pilgrim Harps under his successors, Penny Johnson and Tom Greaves, as John steps back into a well-earned retirement.
In this episode, I’m joined by Professor Gabriele Rossi Rognoni, curator of the Royal College of Music Museum, London, for a wide-ranging conversation. Drawing on his experience developing and re-imagining musical instrument museums across Europe, Professor Rossi Rognoni reflects on how collections can tell richer stories about sound, craft, and cultural exchange. We explore the evolving role of instrument museums in the twenty-first century. It’s a thoughtful discussion on how objects, music, and audiences meet—and how museums can bring instruments meaningfully to life.
Instrumental explores the hidden stories of musical instruments. From ancient bone flutes to modern synthesisers, it reveals how instruments shape culture, technology, and human expression. Rooted in organology - the study of how instruments are made, function, and evolve - the podcast educates, inspires, preserves endangered traditions, and celebrates global diversity. Through expert voices, rich storytelling, and sometimes the sounds of the instruments themselves, Instrumental invites listeners to discover instruments, their makers, their stories, and their players.I’m launching a podcast to explore this rich and vibrant field, and we need your help to make it resonate. ​​
Episode 1: A life in harp making with John Hoare of Pilgrim Harps
Episode 2: Sound, craft, and culture: Curating Instrumental Heritage with Prof. Gabriele Rossi Rognoni
