'Noble throughout': the transformations of the pedal harp in Paris and London, between 1749 and 1811

Guillaume-Castel, F. (2024) 'Noble throughout': the transformations of the pedal harp in Paris and London, between 1749 and 1811. Doctoral thesis, Royal College of Music.

Abstract

When Denis Diderot first heard a pedal harp played by Oginski, he was enchanted. The philosopher’s appreciation for the instrument introduces the pedal harp as an object of fascination for the Enlightenment. From the arrival of the first single-action pedal harp in Paris in 1749, to the patenting of the double-action pedal harp in the 1810s, the instrument underwent significant changes making the harp easier to play and more versatile. Several makers offered different versions of the mechanism, while others added to the tonal possibilities. The transformations of the single-action pedal harp paved the way for the development of the double-action pedal harp – patented by Sébastien Erard in London in 1810 and in Paris in 1811 – which remains the standard pedal harp mechanism today. This thesis examines the single-action pedal harp’s place within Paris and London societies during this period. It engages with a musical instrument that was also considered an object of luxury, with a range of economic and social implications. The first chapter explores these issues, detailing the different meanings tied to the pedal harp at the time. The second chapter focuses on the makers of the pedal harp, assessing their lives and careers. It sheds a new light on their role in various networks such as the German Protestant community in eighteenth-century Paris, which helped to sustain their activity, both personally and professionally. The third chapter explores the quest for transformations that harp makers sought to bring to the pedal harp highlighting the processes employed to protect and disseminate their creation. The analysis of each of these transformations outlines their different trajectories, with a focus on the Erard workshop in Paris and London. The pedal harp is foremost a musical instrument, played by musicians, with its own compositions. The fourth and final chapter examines the performance aspect of the pedal harp, and its place in the music of the period. It explores new links between players and harp makers and highlights the careers of musicians often forgotten in music history. Drawing on a variety of sources, this study offers a comprehensive view of a crucial period in the pedal harp’s history. Through the investigation of more than eighty pedal harps spanning the years 1749 to 1810, this study demonstrates the invaluable insights that can be gained from material culture studies when telling the history of a musical instrument. The harps have been studied alongside archival texts, iconography, and music of the period, in order to present the many aspects of their material presence. The instrument emerges here as a prism through which to explore complex issues of labour, market, class, gender, and culture at the time.

Actions (login required)

View Item