Érard

History

Érard was an important music publisher and instrument maker in the fist half of the 19th century.

The music publisher was founded in Paris around 1799 by the brothers Jean Baptiste Érard (1749-1826) and Sébastien Érard (1752-1831). They entrusted the firm to their nieces Marie Françoise Bonnemaison née Marcoux (1777-1851) and Catherine Barbe Delahante née Marcoux (1779-1815), and the publishing name became Mesdemoiselles Érard. Around 1835 or 1838, the firm passed to J. Delahante.

The name Érard is most famous in connection wuth the harp. In 1794 Sébastien Érard filed the first English patent for a harp. His harp was a single-action instrument tuned in E♭ that could be played in eight major and five minor keys thanks to a system of pedals. His seven-pedal action for the harp, patented in 1810, allows each string to be shortened by one or two semitones. This mechanism, still used by pedal-harp makers, allows a harpist to perform in any key.

Sébastien Érard also made an important contribution to piano design: the double-escapement (double échappement) action which incorporated the repetition lever, patented in 1821.

Editions

Imprints, Addresses, Agencies

• Érard
• Mesdemoiselles Érard
• M^elles Érard
• J. Delahante, succ. de M. Erard

Plate Numbers

Sources Consulted

Authority control