A Dynasty of Harp Makers by Ann Griffiths First published in World Harp Congress Review - pring !""!

#en years ago$ in April !""!$ % realised that an i&portant anniversary had 'o&e and gone$ apparently unnoti'ed( Was % the only person in this whole wide harp world who$ on ) April !""!$ was 'elebrating the !)" th anniversary of the birth of *bastien +rard, %n response to this -uestion$ % wonder how &any of the younger generation of harpists would have said ./f who&,0( #en years later$ thanks to the work of Alain Roudier$ 1aure 2arthel$ Robert Adelson$ the establish&ent of the Centre *bastien +rard in the 3alais 1as'aris in 4i'e$ and the re'ordings &ade using histori' +rard harps by artists su'h as 5irginie #arr6te$ ylvain 2lassel$ 2ertile Huguet and ophie Hallyn'k in Fran'e and 2elgiu&$ Meinir Heulyn and +linor 2ennett in Wales$ and +dward Witsenburg and Ra'hel Ann Morgan in the 4etherlands$ the +rard harp is being heard again( However$ even in !"7!$ as we 'elebrate the !8"th anniversary of his birth$ there are still &any harpists 9 brought up on alvi$ /ber&ayer$ Hornga'her$ David and Ca&a' harps 9 who$ when asked the sa&e -uestion$ would ask ./f who&,0 :et had it not been for the truly revolutionary genius of *bastien +rard$ then alvi$ /ber&ayer$ Hornga'her$ David$ Ca&a' and even the 1yon and Healy harps would si&ply not e;ist( We harpists would still be struggling with fragile little harps by Cousineau and 4ader&an$ 'o&pletely unable to play even one 'hordal glissando$ and forever stu'k in the key of +-flat &a<or7( Who then was this genius who 'hanged the harp forever, %t is well known that *bastien +rard was Fren'h and that he was born in trasbourg on ) April 7=)!$ as the fourth 'hild of the se'ond &arriage of 1ouis-Antoine +rard >78?)7=)?@( What is far less well-known is that his father$ was born$ not in Fran'e$ but in witAerland( 2asse'ourt$ near 3orrentruy in the wiss Bura$ is a tiny$ rather drab and oppressive little village$ set on a narrow plain bounded by two &ountain ranges$ the peak on the right hand side of the valley rising to a height of 7$"!C &etres( 1ittle wonder that 1ouis-Antoine +rard should 'hoose to leave su'h a depressing pla'e( When he finally left the valley$ in around 7=!8$ the young <oiner-'abinet&akerDs route was probably along the banks of the river orne to D*l*&ont$ then$ through 2asel$ via the Rhine to trasbourg$ where he settled as a &e&ber of the Catholi' guild of &aster <oiners!(
1 #he

single-a'tion harp was tuned in +-flat &a<or( +a'h pedal 'ould be &oved only on'e$ so the only notes obtainable were D$ C$ 2b$ +b$ F$ G$ Ab$ and DE$ CE$ 2$ +$ FE$ GE$ A( 2 A( Roudier$ F1es origines de la fa&ille +rardD in *bastien +rard$ 7=)!-7?G7$ ou la ren'ontre ave' le pianoforte( +;hibition Catalogue$ 1u;euil-les-2ains$ 7CCG( Alain Roudier was the first s'holar to resear'h the origins of the +rard fa&ily by sear'hing 'hur'h and 'ivi' re'ords in trasbourg$ Fran'e$ and the harp world is deeply indebted to hi& for the work he has done(

*bastien +rard was only si; years old when his father died$ and ro&anti'ised a''ounts of his having a'-uired his woodworking skills in his fatherDs workshop 'annot be substantiated( He was$ however$ brought up within a 'o&&unity of skilled artisans$ with un'les$ 'ousins$ his godfather and his older brother all being e&ployed as <oiners$ 'abinet&akers and gilders$ for the &ost part in an e''lesiasti'al 'onte;t$ as &akers of 'hur'h furniture G(>G@ What led to his be'o&ing an instru&ent &aker is not known$ nor is it known where he was trained$ though it is fas'inating to 'on<e'ture that he &ay have known and worked with the trasbourg-based &e&bers of the fa&ous ilber&ann dynasty( %ts younger &e&bers Bohann Andreas >7=7!-7=?G@$ Bohann Daniel >7=7=-7=8"@ and Bohann Heinri'h >Bean Henri@ >7=!=-7=CC@ attra'ted to their trasbourg workshops &any of the new generation of keyboard instru&ent &akers who subse-uently be'a&e established both in Ger&any and in 1ondon( *bastien +rard &ost probably rea'hed 3aris in 7=8?$ at the age of si;teen or so$ but again it has been i&possible to verify the a''ount of his beginnings there( However$ the Du'hesse de 5illeroy >7=G7-7?78@ was an early patron$ providing +rard with workshop pre&ises at her &ansion in the rue de 2ourbonH in 7=== he &ade her a fortepiano based on a s-uare piano &ade in 1ondon by Bohannes Iu&pe$ a for&er dis'iple of the ilber&ann workshops in trasbourg( %n 7==C he built the only known +rard harpsi'hord J$ and then began to e;ploit the new &arket for five-o'tave fortepianos$ so su''essfully over'o&ing the fashionable preferen'e for F+nglishD pianos that he was obliged to 'all on the help of an older brother$ Bean-2aptiste +rard >b trasbourg$ = Buly 7=JCH d 3assy$ 7" April 7?!8@( #ogether they &oved first to 7"C rue de 2ourbon$ and in 4ove&ber 7=?7 to 7G rue du Mail$ whi'h re&ained the head-uarters of the 'o&pany until its eventual 'losure( %n 7=?J$ the <ealously 'onservative guild of 3arisian luthiers atte&pted to blo'k the brothersD enterprise$ but their efforts were over'o&e by the personal intervention of the King$ who awarded *bastien +rard a spe'ial dispensation dated ) February 7=?)( %n 7=?8 +rard &ade a spe'ial transposing fortepiano to a''o&pany Lueen Marie AntoinetteDs singing voi'e)$ and in 7=?8-?= he &ade another fortepiano for her 8( %n Banuary 7=??$ the brothers for&ed a business partnership$ operating then'eforth as +rard frMres$ and in Banuary 7=C7 they be'a&e owners of the rue du Mail pre&ises they had previously rented( #heir sales registers for 7=?? show an annual produ'tion of !)J fortepianos$ and those for 7=?C show an annual produ'tion of J7"( o far$ no harpsN %ndeed$ when +rard left revolutionary 3aris for 1ondon$ he left no harps behind( He had$ however$ already addressed the proble& of the harp$ observing in a letter that Fthe &e'hanis& is too 'o&pli'atedH % have 'hanged and &u'h si&plified itH this &eans it doesnDt break strings like before( /n'e % have obtained the right to show &y dis'overy$ % will bring out &y harps(D Although it is probable that he had &ade previous e;ploratory visits to 1ondon
3 %n

De'e&ber 7=7!$ 1ouis-Antoine +rard was signatory to a 'ontra't for 'arving 'hoir stalls for the ri'h Cister'ian Monastery of t Marie de 1u'elle >Roudier$ op('it( p(7)@( 1ater FauthoritiesD have 'alled hi& a furniture &aker$ and even an upholstererOa trade very different fro& his a'tual area of e;pertise( 4 Clave'in &*'ani-ue or 'lave'in P e;pression( 3aris$ Mus*e de la Musi-ue( 5 #his instru&ent has not survived( 6 Cobbe Colle'tion$ Hat'hlands$ +ngland(

as early as 7==C$ and again in both 7=?8 and 7=??$ it was in 7=C" or 7=C7 that he &ade his definitive departure for 1ondon$ where$ in 7=C! he founded an establish&ent at 7? Great Marlborough treet( #here he 'on'entrated on the &anufa'ture of harps$ whi'h previously had al&ost all been i&ported fro& Fran'e$ and in 4ove&ber 7=CJ he a'knowledged the first-ever 2ritish patent for a harp( Repla'ing the unsatisfa'tory 'ro'hets and b*-uilles syste&s of string shortening with a &e'hanis& P four'hettes =$ +rard strengthened the ne'k of the harp by la&inating the wood with the grain running in the sa&e dire'tion$ and his new rounded soundbo; repla'ed the previous staved 'onstru'tion( #he &e'hanis&$ instead of being en'losed within the ne'k$ was pla'ed between two brass plates and atta'hed to it$ thus giving the instru&ent additional rigidity( Most re&arkable$ of 'ourse$ was the new fork &e'hanis&$ whi'h$ when engaged by the pedal$ brought two forked pins into 'onta't with the strings$ thus shortening the& the degree of a se&itoneH the sharpened strings re&ained parallel with the others$ so that there were fewer string breakages$ and a''ura'y of intonation was greatly i&proved( #he harp was tuned in +-flat &a<or$ and 'ould be played in eight &a<or and five &inor keys( +rard &oved ba'k to 3aris in the su&&er of 7=C)$ when he bought a house at Mvres$ and introdu'ed his new single a'tion harpH his first Fren'h patent$ however$ dates only fro& 7=C?( %n 1ondon$ the harp had re&arkable su''ess( +rardDs 1ondon to'k 2ooks show that aristo'rati' patronage 'a&e early$ but that &ore than an ele&ent of so'ial e&ulation played its role$ with sales really taking off fro& 4ove&ber 7?""$ when Her Royal Highness the 3rin'ess of Wales paid the su& of Q=)-7!-" for harp no( G)=( D*'or O influen'ed by the re'ent ar'hite'tural dis'overies in 3o&peii$ Her'ulaneu& and Athens O appears to have been standardised earlyH a 'ir'le of ra&s heads de'orated the 'apital of the fluted 'olu&n$ and the &ost popular harp$ as noted in the /rder 2ooks$ was Fnoire$ bordures etrus-uesD( #he brass plate was engraved with the harpDs serial nu&ber$ the address at Great Marlborough treet and the angli'ised for& of the &akerDs Christian na&e( #he three 1ondon /rder 2ooks 'over the a'tivities of the fir& fro& about 7=C? to 7C7=$ during whi'h ti&e 8$?8! harps are listed as sold( #here are parti'ularly fas'inating detailed a''ounts for the period fro& ! February 7?"= to !J April 7?"C$ during whi'h ti&e$ starting at harp no( ?8=$ Q!"$)7!-7J-? worth of single a'tion harps were sold( 2y epte&ber 7?7"$ +rardDs 1ondon outlet had sold 7$G=J harps( His agents in'luded Mesda&es Dussek and Kru&pholtA$ and &any Fren'h refugees su'h as DiAi$ Meyer and the 5i'o&te de Marin( #he /rder 2ooks reveal a distinguished 'lientele( %n 7?"=$ a harp 'ost Q?G-=-"$ and a set of strings would set you ba'k Q7-7?-"( Day to day running e;penses are noted >he see&s to have used &any pints of brown varnishN@ as are the work&enDs weekly wages( For instan'e$ on !G February 7?"=$ he Fpaid to the work&enD the su& of QGC-8-7"H on !7 Mar'h the bill a&ounted to QJ!-78-"( At the end of the year$ the work&en would be rewarded with a Fbean-feastD( #here
7 Registered

as the first 2ritish patent ever to be awarded for a harp >3atent no( !"78$ 1ondon$ 7= /'tober 7=CJ@(

are several notes of pay&ents to a FMr #illier$ the gilderD$ and a Mr Collier was paid Q)-"-" whenever he 'arved a de'orative eagle intended to be fi;ed on the top of the 'olu&n of the harp( +rard paid e;tre&ely generous funeral e;penses a&ounting to QJ!-G-8 for the funeral of one of his work&en$ a Mr Fiesinger$ and there are pay&ents for other things like pi'ture fra&esOinitially &ore puAAling until one realises the e;tent of +rardDs 'olle'tion of paintings$ already fa&ous at the beginning of the nineteenth 'entury?( %n 7?"=$ a new business agree&ent was drawn up between *bastien and Bean2aptiste +rard$ and afterwards *bastien regained 1ondon$ where he stayed for five years$ 'on'entrating on the develop&ent of the harp( As stated previously$ his single-a'tion harp$ despite the revolutionary i&prove&ent in its &e'hani'al fun'tioning$ was li&ited to playing in only thirteen keys >+-flat$ 2b$ F$ C$ G$ D$ A and + &a<ors$ with three of their relative &inors@( +rard had taken out several su''essive patents in both +ngland >7?"7 and 7?"?@ and Fran'e >7?"! and 7?"8@$ but it was May 7?7" >1ondon patent no( GGG!@ before he was able to perfe't and patent a double-a'tion &e'hanis& based on the fork prin'iple$ thus enabling the harp to play in all keys( #he first double-a'tion +rard harp was no( 7G?=$ sold at Great Marlborough treet on 77 De'e&ber 7?77$ and still e;isting in a private 'olle'tion in +ngland( #his harp had JG strings$ giving a range of +-flatDD to fDDD( As in the harp we know today$ ea'h of its seven pedals 'ould be &oved twi'e$ fro& flat$ to natural to sharp$ and its open key was C-flat &a<or( 2y &eans of setting the pedals$ this harp 'ould be played in any key$ and +rardDs prin'iples have 'ontinued to be used by &odern harp&akers$ with very little &odifi'ation until -uite re'ent ti&es( #he applied plasterwork FGre'ianD de'oration with its 'ir'le of winged 'aryatids$ winged lions$ gryphons$ Greek &asks and a'anthus leaves was standardised fro& an early stage$ and so&e of the ne'essary &oulds have been preservedC( oundboard de'oration varied$ but this too was stylised$ and intaglio transfers were used( G$)"" su'h harps were sold in 1ondon between 7?77 and 7?!"$ fully <ustifying +rardDs enor&ous e;penditure in setting up spe'ialised e-uip&ent for their &anufa'ture( %t &ust be re&e&bered that +rardDs 1ondon establish&ent was a produ't of the new industrial age$ and a large-s'ale F&anufa'toryD$ rather than the kind of FworkshopD establish&ent for&erly asso'iated with harp &aking( #he double a'tion harp was introdu'ed to 3aris in 7?77$ but it was April 7?7) before it re'eived offi'ial approval fro& the 'o&&ission appointed <ointly by the A'ade&y of 'ien'es and the A'ade&y of 2eau;-Arts( Meanwhile$ *bastien +rard had &oved ba'k to 3aris on a per&anent basis$ and his nephew had taken over dire'tion of the 1ondon business( 3ierre-/rph*e +rard >b 7" Mar'h 7=CJH d 7) August 7?))@ took over at 7? Great Marlborough treet on 7= May 7?7J( #he son of Bean-2aptiste +rard$ he had been born in 3aris during the revolutionary period( %n preparation for taking
8 Anik

DevriMsR *bastien +rard$ un a&ateur dDart du d*but du S%Se siM'le( Reprinted in Roudier >op( 'it(@ 9 Clive Morley Colle'tion$ Filkins$ 1e'hlade$ +ngland(

over the fa&ily fir&$ his studies had been dire'ted to learning +nglish$ &usi' and the harp$ whi'h he had studied with Bean-Ai&* 5ernier >7=8C-after 7?G?@( #he year before 3ierre rea'hed 1ondon$ the 3aris 'on'ern had been seriously 'o&pro&ised by the i&position of trade and industrial restri'tions due to the 4apoleoni' wars$ and on !8 February 7?7G it had been de'lared bankrupt$ with a defi'it of 7$G=7$8!C fran's( 2y 7?!"$ however$ G$)"" double-a'tion FGre'ianD harps had been sold in 1ondon$ and thanks to the profits &ade by the 1ondon bran'h$ all outside debts in'urred by the 3aris enterprise were rei&bursed$ and the bankrupt'y was dis'harged by order of the royal 'ourt on 7! April 7?!J( 3ierre +rard re&ained in 1ondon and dire'ted the 1ondon establish&ent until 7?!C$ taking out a patent for an i&proved harp in 7?!!( #his$ however$ proved i&pra'ti'al$ as it ne'essitated 'hanging the order of the harpDs pedals$ whi'h had been definitively established sin'e the 7=="s( 3ierre 'ontinued to work on the larger$ J8-string harp throughout the 7?!"s$ eventually taking out a patent for the so-'alled FGothi'D harp$ whi'h he a'knowledged on 7? Bune 7?G8( #he soundboard was lengthened by four in'hes so that the harp 'ould a''o&&odate J8 strings$ whi'h 'ould be &ore widely spa'ed( Heavier wirewound bass strings were introdu'ed fro& 8th o'tave + downwards and the range of the harp was CDD to fDDD( #he lower part of the body shell was strengthened so that it was appro;i&ately double the usual thi'kness$ and the not'hes for the pedals were 'ut into the a'tual body of the harp7"( Bean-2aptiste +rard had died in Mar'h 7?!=$ and *bastien +rard died on ) August 7?G7$ aged =C( An inventory after de'ease at the rue du Mail site dis'loses the e;tent of the operation$ with ?" spe'ialist workers e&ployed in 7C workshops( i;teen workshops were devoted to the piano$ but only three to the harp$ where four workers were e&ployed for woodwork$ one for asse&bly and one for gilding( #he sto'k in'luded )" 'o&pleted pianos and 7G harps( %n the early 7?!"s$ *bastien had bought the ChTteau de la Muette at 3assy$ and here a separate inventory 'asts light on une;pe'ted aspe'ts of the life of the instru&ent &aker( %t reveals not only a 'ellar with !$"J= bottles of wine$ but also appro;i&ately !8" paintings of e;'eptional -uality$ &any of whi'h now hang in the worldDs &ost fa&ous &useu&s( Death duties$ and various other e;penses in'urred in the laun'hing of the new grand pianos with double es'ape&ent$ &eant that 3ierre +rard felt obliged to raise &oney by selling off his un'leDs 'olle'tion of paintings( 2efore the end of 7?G7$ he had already sold the portrait of 3hilip %5 by 5elas-ueA >now at the Her&itage$ t 3etersburg@ and at the first 3aris sale in August 7?G!$ paintings were offered for sale by$ a&ongst others$ Correggio$ Murillo$ Rubens$ #eniers$ #itian and 5an Dy'k( At the subse-uent 1ondon sale >Bune 7?GG@$ a further )" paintings were sold$ in'luding DUrerDs .Adoration of the Magi0 >VffiAi Gallery$ Floren'e@ and Re&brandtDs 78GJ portrait of his &other >4ational Gallery$1ondon@( trangely$ not one &usi'al instru&ent was inventoried at the ChTteau( #he effe't of the +rard harp was 'ru'ial to the develop&ent of harp-writing in the nineteenth 'entury$ and the e;peri&ents and innovative te'hni-ues of virtuosi su'h as 3arish Alvars >7?"?-7?JC@ revealed &ore te'hni'al and e;pressive possibilities for the double-a'tion harp than *bastien +rard hi&self
10 3atent

no( 8C8!$ 1ondon$ 7? De'e&ber 7?G)(

'ould ever have i&agined( #he &ost typi'al of the newly possible effe'ts is the 'hordal glissando$ now ubi-uitous$ but totally unknown until the &id-7?G"s( /ther effe'ts su'h as bisbigliando$ the 'o&bination of har&oni's with glissando$ pedal glissandi$ &odulations to re&ote keys$ and the brilliant effe't of the rapid reiteration of notes of the sa&e pit'h a'hieved by pre-setting pedals$ were all invented by 3arish Alvars using an +rard harp( His Fantasia >op(87@ is dedi'ated to 3ierre +rard( 3ierre +rard returned to live in 3aris in 7?GJ$ &arrying his se'ond 'ousin$ Ca&ille F*vrier$ and after his death in 7?))$ the business passed into her hands( Mada&e +rard appointed her brother-in-law Antoine +ugMne 'haeffer >7?"!-7?=G@ to dire't the 3aris enterprise$ and in 1ondon$ the +nglish-born brothers$ George Bohn and Charles Ba&es 2rouAaud were no&inated su''essors$ George Bohn in 'harge of the Great Marlborough treet pre&ises$ and Charles Ba&es in 'harge of the Kensington fa'tory( >#he fa'tory e;tended over four a'res$ and e&ployed so&e G"" workers@( %n 3aris$ in 7?=G Mada&e +rard entered into an agree&ent with A&*d*e 2londel$ and the 3aris 'o&pany operated as +rard et Cie( An illustrated trade pa&phlet of 7?=? shows four grand pianos$ four uprights and two &odels of harp$ in'luding the ornately 'arved tyle 1ouis S5%$ and a J=-string Gothi' &odel( Harps &ade in 1ondon and 3aris were nu&bered differently$ so that the Fren'h-built harp nu&ber !GJJ$ i&ported in 7?CJ$ bore the +nglish nu&ber 887"( +rardWs 1ondon fa'tory was sold by au'tion on C epte&ber 7?C"$ and &u'h of the business was a'-uired by B George Morley( #he re&aining part of +rardWs 1ondon enterprise was gradually allowed to de'line$ though a few harps 'ontinued to be &ade at the rear of the Great Marlborough treet pre&ises until the 7CG"s( %n 3aris$ the fir& traded su''essively as 2londel et Cie >Maison +rard@$ fro& 7CG) to 7C)8 as Gui'hard et Cie >Maison +rard@$ and fro& 7C)8 onwards as +rard et Cie (A( %t a&alga&ated with Gaveau as Gaveau-+rard in 7C)C$ 'ontinuing harp &anufa'ture on a s&all s'ale until the early 7C8"s under the na&e of +rard( %n 7C=?$ the pre&ises at the alle Gaveau and the goodwill of the harp-&anufa'turing se'tion of Gaveau-+rard were a'-uired by 5i'tor alvi( %n 7CCJ$ the /rder 2ooks of the 1ondon bran'h$ whi'h had been the property of Clive Morley$ were a'-uired at au'tion by the Royal College of Musi'$ where they 'an be seen in the Musi' %nstru&ent Museu&(