AHJ, Vol. 5 No. 3, Summer 1976

Jefferson in a letter to his daughter from Philadelphia
in 1800:
"A very ingenious, modest, and poor young man in
Philadelphia has invented one of the prettiest improvements
in the pianoforte that I have seen, and it
has tempted me to engage one for Monticello. His
strings are perpendicular ... "
Singleton comments that this instrument must have been
similar to the 'keyed harp' or 'piano-harp' which Guttwald,
75 Maiden Lane, Philadelphia, advertised in the
Evening Post in 1818 (" ... a musical instrument that
perfectly equals the harp in sound and far surpasses it
in easy treatment). 41
THE HARP IN THE UNITED ST A TES
SINCE 1835-A BRIEF RESUME
Lyon and Healy of Chicago became the largest importers
of harps during the 19th century, handling such
European makes as Erard, Erat, Dodd, Grospian,
Nadermann, and Meyer. In 1889, the first Americanmade
Lyon and Healy harp was manufactured. 42
The Boston Symphony Orchestra had one harpist
among its personnel when it was established in 1881;
and a second was added to the payroll in the season of
1918-19 (when Henri Rubaud was conducting). A
harpist was presented as soloist with the orchestra as
early as 1883 ; 43 and in 1884, Mozart's Concerto for
Flute and Harp in C was included in the program of
January 12. 44
In New York, the year 1859 saw a performance of
Liszt's Les Preludes by the Philharmonic Society; if it
was played as scored, there was a harpist in the orchestra.
45
Early U.S. performances of several major works with
harp, taking place after the turn of the 20th century,
include:
Widor, "Chorale and Variations": 1902, Chicago
Symphony Orchestra 40
Ravel, "Introduction and Allegro": 1916, Symphony
Society of New York 47
Debussy, "Two Dances for Harp and Orchestra" (with
pedal harp): 1917, Carnegie Hall, New York 48
As for the last of these, it was given a first chromaticharp
performance in New York on December 2 7, 1 919,
by Mme. Wurmser-Delcourt, who had premiered the
work in Paris in 1904. (She was the best-known of the
performers who championed the chromatic harp, as opposed
to the pedal harp, in the early years of this century.)
In this American debut, Mme. Wurmser-Delcourt
was featured with the Symphony Society of New
York. 49 As important harpists appeared on the scene in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many of them
were men; and very few of them were American-born.
Among the names of orchestral players, harpist-composers,
soloists, and pedagogues, we recognize Heinrich
Schuecker, Alfred Holy, Carlos Salzedo, Marcel
Grandjany, Salvatore Mario de Stefano, Alberto
Salvi, and others. They have produced as students many
outstanding American harpists. One of the first of these,
a student of Schuecker, was Van Veachton Rogers
8
(1864-1937), who had a very successful 'free-lancing'
career with the harp. He toured the country for a number
of seasons with the noted mime-narrator, Charles T.
Grilley,50 performing background music. Possibly this
was the beginning of the use of the harp for that purpose,
leading to its later popularity in radio, television,
movies, and the theater.
The first half of the 20th century saw the development
of harp departments in conservatories and universities;
the staging of large harp festivals; tours by
ensembles of harps, chamber music groups using harp,
and solo harpists; summer harp study colonies and
workshops; and numerous new solo compositions and
works scored for harp in the orchestra. As the recording
industry developed, the public became increasingly
familiar with the harp repertoire. An interest in folk
music has brought folk harp builders and players into
prominence, beginning with the Melville Clark Irish
harp, patented in 1911, 51 and increasing until today the
Folk Harp Journal lists scores of devotees throughout
the country. 52 More and more instruments, of traditional
as well as modem design, and in many sizes, are being
built and/or imported by Lyon and Healy, Salvi, and
Venus Harp Companies. There are harp offerings in
many public schools. Electronically-amplified harps
have taken their place in the world of popular music;
and serious avant-garde composers are scoring in innovative
ways for harp. A new generation of harpists,
American-born, has come into prominence.
As we look at these developments from the perspective
of 1976, the pace seems to have quickened,
and it is apparent that a great deal of progress has taken
place. As with all phases of music, the media have
played an enormous role in the surge of interest in the
harp in America. Without a doubt, another major source
of impetus has been the American Harp Society, at
least in the last decade-with its emphasis on performance,
education, competitions, and the commissioning
of new works.
Whatever its future course, the harp has certainly
joined the mainstream of American musical life in a
permanent way.
On the following 3 pages is a copy of the "Symphony
Society Bulletin" of New York, dated December 27,
1919. Walter Damrosch was the conductor of the New
York Symphony Orchestra at that time.
Included in the bulletin is a program featuring Mme.
Wurmser-Delcourt playing the Debussy Danses and
the Pieme Concertstuck on the chromatic harp. Also
included are commentaries on both the harp and the
music.
AMERICAN HARP JOURNAL