Harp Music Timeline

(historic harpers, harpists, and harpmakers responsible for harp music performed today)

Born	Died	Harpist	Country	Biographical Notes
1670	1738	Turlough O’Carolan	Ireland	Gaelic: Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin Died March 25, 1738
1673	1763	Jacob Hochbrucker (harpmaker)	Bavaria	Produced first single-action pedal harp sometime between 1690 and 1720
1710	1782	John Parry	Wales	Born blind c. 1710 Died October 7, 1782 Master of High Baroque on the triple strung welsh harp Admired by Haydn
1731	1835	François-Joseph Naderman	France
1733	1799	George Cousineau	France	Improved single-action pedal harp
1735	1799	Jean-Henri Naderman (harpmaker)	France	Famous single-action pedal harpmaker Harpmaker to the French Court
1745	1790	Johann Batpist Krumpholtz	Czechoslovakia	Born in Zlonice (near Prague)
1752	1824	Edward Jones	Wales	Composer, teacher, performer Published Musical and Poetical Relics of the Welsh Bards
1752	1831	Sebastien Erard (harpmaker)	France	Born in Strasbourg, France, April 15, 1752 (as Erhard) English patent for improved single-action pedal harp granted in 1794 English patent for double-action pedal harp granted in 1810 First double action pedal harp produced in 1811 Died in August 1831 http://www.pianorestaurateur.nl/erard_biografie.htm
1773	1843	Edward Bunting (musician)	England	Responsible for preservation of music of the last Irish harpers
1780	1840	François Dizi	Belgium	48 Etudes earned him title of “Beethoven of the Harp” Obtained patents for a double-action pedal harp
1787	1834	Dorette Scheidler Spohr	Germany	Married to violinist and composer Louis Spohr. Single action pedal harp virtuoso.
1789	1856	Robert Nicholas Charles Bochsa	France	Born in Montmédy, France. Escaped to England (by March 1817 he was a fugitive from French justice, having forged signatures and legal documents to such an extent that he was tried in absentia the following year, fined 4,000 francs, condemned to twelve years of hard labor, and was to be branded with the letters T.F. (Travaux Forcés). Died in Sydney, Australia, January 6, 1856, while on a world performance tour.
1805	1870	Théodore Labarre	France	Pupil of Bochsa, Naderman, and Cousineau Responsible for intensive study of the Erard double-action pedal harp
1805	1871	John Balsir Chatterton	England	Pupil of Bochsa and Labarre (double-action pedal harp) Suceeded Bochsa at Royal Academy Harpist to Queen Victoria
1808	1849	Elias Parish-Alvars	England	Died January 25, 1849 Pupil of Dizi, Bochsa, and perhaps Labarre Double-action pedal harp virtuoso http://www.harpa.com/parishbook.htm
1818	1897	Felix Godefroid	Belgium	Birthname Dieudonne Joseph Guillaume Felix Godefroid
1826	1913	John Thomas	Wales	Born in Bridgend, South Wales, on St. David’s Day, March 1, 1826 Pupil of Chatterton Died in London, England, March 19, 1913
1834	1910	Albert Heinrich Zabel	Germany
1845	1912	Alphonse Hasselmans	Belgium	Born in Liege, Belgium March 5, 1845 Died in Paris, France, May 19, 1912
1850	1915	Franz Poenitz	Germany
1852	1925	Wilhelm Posse	Germany	Died June 20, 1925
1866	1948	Alfred Holý	Czechoslovakia
1870	1948	Alfred Kastner	Austria	Founding member of Los Angeles Philharmonic
1875	1956	Henriette Renie	France	Born in Paris, France, September 18, 1875 Died in Paris, March 1, 1956
1879	1951	Marcel Lucien Tournier	France
1885	1961	Carlos Salzedo	France	Birthname Charles Moise Léon Salzédo Born in Arachon, France, April 6, 1885 Died in Waterville, Maine, USA, April 6, 1885
1890	1962	Jacques Ibert	France	Died in Paris, France, 1962
1891	1975	Marcel Grandjany	France	Born in Paris, France, September 3, 1891 Died in New York, New York, USA, February 24, 1975
1907	2004	Lucille Lawrence	USA	Born in New Orleans, LA, February 7, 1907 Died in Englewood, NJ, July 8, 2004 Married to Carlos Salzedo for 8 years

Last edited June 24, 2005 by Kathleen Clark / https://mindharp.tripod.com/harpistchronology.html