Album Notes

The mecanical development of the harp in Germany at the beginning of the 18th century brought about a growing interest in this instrument among musicians. The harp was no longer a salon instrument. A generation of virtuoso harpists and composers played all over Europe, inspiring fellow composers to write for the harp .The single movement pedal harp was invented in Germany by Jacob Hochbrücker around 1720 it was made known in European countries by German harpists. This new harp was greeted with enthusiasm by the French nobility. This explains the variety of works written by German composers who came to France during the first half of the 18th century .Among them are the virtuoso Christian Hochbrücker (1773-1800) who was born in Bavaria and was related to Jacob Hochbrücker; ;Philippe Jacques Meyer (1739-1819) who was born in Strassbourg and became a pupil of Christian Hochbrücker, publishing the oldest method of harp playing.