The first harp literature of which we are aware was published in 1762. It consists of 6 sonatas for harp with a "Game," (sic) (viola dagamba?) and Some Pieces Fingered for Beginners, by Monsieur Hochbriicker, Attached to the Music of Monsieur le Prince Louis de Rohan, Op. 1. These sonatas are of course dedicated to the patron of the harpist, Cardinal Louis de Rohan-Guemenee, Archbishop of Strasbourg, who was to be so unluckily involved in the affair of "The Queen's Necklace." Christian Hochbrilker seems to have been a nephew of the inventor of the pedals. Actually, in the preface to a volume of melodies dedicated to the Princesse de Poix (1769), he himself enlightens us in his biography: "Having often heard, in Paris, someone flatter himself as being the inventor of the harp with pedals, I believe it to be my duty here, to humble his pride a little, to state that having been unknown before 1697, the harp was invented at this time by my father. My brother was the first who had the honor of playing in Vienna on a harp with pedals before the Emperor Charles VI in 1728." In 1760 the musical coterie of the Cardinal de Rohan left Strasbourg for Paris: we have the proof of this in the programs of the Concert Spirituel published by le Mercure, in which several of the Cardinal's musicians made their debuts. Hochbri.icker was quickly recognized as the best harpist of Europe, as Le Mercure of May 26, 1765 testifies: "Monsieur Hochbri.icker played some duos for harp and violin with Monsieur Capron. Monsieur Hochbri.icker admirably sustained his previous reputation as the first talent of Europe on this instrument: the most beautiful sounds, the touch, the greatest skill, and at the same time the most mellow tone." Here again we do not know precisely what those duos were. Perhaps some fragments from the Op. VI of Hochbri.icker: 6 Sonatasfor Harp with Accompaniment of Violin ad lib. dedicated to Mme. de Boufflers, which are not without interest; but the most important work of Hochbri.icker with reference to harp technique certainly is the first in chronological order of this composer's publications: 6 Sonatas for Harp Op. 1 dedicated to the Cardinal de Rohan (1762). In these sonatas (as in all the works of Hochbri.icker) one finds the same concern for increasing the sonority of an instrument which at this period was rather intimate: with short arpeggios of an octave or a I 0th, sustained by ample basses or chords. Sometimes, the I 0th is in the bass itself. This interval, especially sonorous, is easy for the harp as the reach is not as great as on the piano (see examples 2a and 2b). Hochbri.icker was the first to write idiomatically for the harp. He avoided repeated notes, difficult to execute and always disappointing in result because of the buzzing produced by the too quick return of the finger upon a string still vibrating. When he uses the Alberti bass, it is always in a slow movement so that the vibration of the string has time to subside before the replacing of the finger. For the same reasons, embellishments are found mostly in not-too-fast movements, and we observe again in the works of Hochbri.icker the parallel writing for the hands. 10 From this time on, the writing for the harp advanced more rapidly than the mechanical improvement of the instrument. A systematizing of harp technic became necessary. As early as 1763 a brilliant virtuoso, Phillipe-Jacques Meyer, produced the first method, entitled: Essay on the True Manner of Playing the Harp, with Rules for Tuning It, Op. 1, Paris. This work had many editions, and in 1774 it appeared with a new title: New Method of Learning to Play the Harp, and the Procedure for Tuning it, by Phillipe-Jacques Meyer, Master of Harp, Re-issued by M. Bouin, Op. IX ( 1774 ). This work contains the first historical essay on the instrument, and gives us some very precise instructions. It tells us, for example, that the harp may be tuned either in E flat, or in B flat: This latter key is the most convenient, Meyer writes, for producing all the others. However, sometimes E flat is desirable for certain pieces of music whose key is E flat or C with the minor third, and in these cases, less awkward to perform. In the first edition Meyer indicates that the harp is generally furnished with 32 strings, the C's are colored red, and the F's are blue. In the edition reappearing after an interval of ten years, he tells us that the harp "Apedale" (sic) has 34 strings. In this new edition Meyer also suggests a way of tuning harps without pedals, obtaining alterations of pitch by turning with the hand a hook mounted on the neck. This proves that-even in 1774-- this archaic instrument [ without pedals] still had its lovers. Meyer published a set of excellent exercises and a way of fingering embellishments which were very useful in most cases. In the last edition the table of ornaments is more concise than in the first. Meyer seems to like the grace note and the mordent and assures us that "one can do without the trill, which flourishes on all other instruments except the harp." It is not for us to say that he is wrong! ... Philippe-Jacques Meyer was born in Strasbourg in 1737. Destined for the church, he first entered upon theological studies but, discovering by chance an old harp in an attic, he taught himself to play; then, deciding to devote himself exclusively to music, he took some lessons from Christian Hochbriicker (probably at Strasbourg, since Hochbrucker lived there until 1760); subsequently, Phillippe-Jacques Meyer rejoined his teacher in Paris and made his debut September 8, 1761 at the Concert Spirituel, where he was to be one of the most frequent soloists until 1765. From then on he seems to have been occupied with teaching and composition. He left Paris for London in 1780, established himself permanently there in 1784, and died in 1819. Meyer's compositions reflected a pleasant and unpretentious style, but they contributed nothing to the technique of the harp at a time when new and original technical ideas abounded. The harp had quickly acquired a favored place in musical life; also, from this period the literature be- AMERICAN HARP JOURNAL
Example 2a-Sonata <strong>No</strong>. VI (G major) by Christian Hochbriiker; dedicated to the Cardinal de Rohan. Fragment from the 1st movement. SPRING/1973 11
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