Commonly known either as the orchestra harp, the concert harp or the grand harp, the pedal harp is the most sophisticated type of harp known today, and has been so for nearly 200 years.
The double action pedal mechanism that we know today was first devised in 1794 by Sébastien Érard who modified the single action pedal mechanism created by Georg Hochbrucker in 1720. With such a device each individual note can be raised simultaneously by a semitone.
With Érard’s new pedal mechanism harpists can do more. With a single pedal movement they can raise or lower every individual note by a semitone. Since then they can get three different notes on each string and allow the harp to play every key.
After it was further improved over the years, the new pedal harp was officially launched in 1811 to great critical success.
The new pedal harp made its official entry in the Conservatoire de Paris in 1845.
