Salvi Harps
Evolution of Excellence
http://www.salviharps.com

In addition to the various displays of the exhibit, Master Harpists of the Twentieth Century, six antique harps are exhibited. These harps are on loan from the Victor Salvi Foundation Harp Collection. This remarkable Collection of harps from the 18th to 20th centuries was assembled by the Victor Salvi Foundation and first exhibited at the Eighth World Harp Congress in Geneva in July 2002. Each instrument in the Collection illustrates a unique historical or artistic facet of the evolution of the harp, and provides a fascinating and informative overview of this remarkable instrument. The Victor Salvi Foundation has also donated support to the Archives each year from 2001-2005 in the amount of five $20,000 contributions.

FIG. 1 - 130. Dital Harp
Egan & Sons, Dublin, 1820
During the first half of the nineteenth century, John Egan of Dublin, Ireland, advertised himself as “Portable harp Maker to the King.” In addition to utilizing the soundbox construction of the newly popular Erard pedal harp, Egan adopted that instrument’s fourchette (fork) disc mechanism. Ever resourceful, he connected the discs, in octaves, to seven pedal-like “ditals” on the harp column. When for example, the player moved the F dital, by hand, all the F strings were raised a semi-tone. This innovation greatly expanded the repertoire possibilities for the non-pedal harp.

FIG. 2 - 145. Lever Harp
Lyon & Healy, Chicago, c. 1911
This historic harp, made c. 1911, was named for George Washington Lyon, one of the original founders of Lyon & Healy, Chicago, USA. As the first-known lever harp produced in the USA, the Washburn Miniature seems a remarkable innovation. Each string has an individual pitch-raising lever which rotates sideways and can be turned from either side, making it accessible to both hands. The body, neck and column are made of maple, and the soundboard is constructed of spruce, with mahogany top and side strips. Less than ten of these instruments are known to have been made by Lyon & Healy.

FIG. 3 - 215. Single Action Pedal Harp
Naderman, Paris, 1773
According to a label inside the soundbox, this single action pedal harp was made by Jean-Henri Naderman. As with most early pedal harps, the instrument body is composed of seven staves. Although the action of the crochet mechanism, which the seven pedals control in octaves, sometimes pulls the harp string slightly out of alignment, this method of raising the string a semi-tone is still considered a successful one. Throughout their respective lifetimes, Jean-Henri Naderman and his sons, (Jean-) François-Joseph and Henri-Pascal, favored the crochet mechanism.
FIG. 4 - 265. Single Action Pedal Harp
Cousineau père et fils, Paris, c. 1790
Under a glass panel, on the right (back) side of the harp neck, the maker’s name is given in handsomely cut-out letters: (COUSINEAU) •/PERE/ET•FILS•/ LUTHIERS•. The harp body has the traditional seven staves, with the central stave pierced by five rectangular soundholes, each fitted with a shutter. An eighth pedal, set in the pedestal just below the central stave, controls the movement of the shutters. Ever experimenting, the Cousineaus, Georges and son Jacques-Georges, C. 1782, developed the béquille mechanism for the harp. Used in pairs, these crutch-ended levers raised the pitch of a string by pressure from either side.

FIG. 5 - 270. Single Action Pedal Harp
Erard?, Paris, 1790’s
This harp represents an important link between the old tradition of pedal harp making and the revolutionary developments of Sebastian Erard. In profile the instrument resembles its predecessors in many ways with a similar column, neck, soundbox and pedal construction. A brass plate has been fitted on the left (front) side of the harp neck and with this innovation there is a hint of the fourchette (fork) disk mechanism to come. The little forks are evident but instead of visible discs for each pair, the prongs of the forks can be seen to move within arcs cut into the brass neck plate.

FIG. 6 - 420. Double Action Pedal Harp
Erard, Paris, 1875
Although this harp bears the name Erard, its appearance recalls the Parisienne harps made by Naderman, Cousineau, Renault and others in the late eighteenth century. However, this Parisienne-made Erard was produced some one hundred years later, and every measurement is enlarged. In addition to benefiting from Sebastian Erard’s improved harp-frame construction, this handsome Erard is a double action pedal harp. Yet, like many of the eighteenth century pedal harps it has an eighth pedal and five shuttered soundholes.