Harp Music

During the middle and late Eighteen-Century the role of the harp grew characterised by two concurring factors.
Firstly, the harp appears more frequently in chamber groups: in a duet with the piano or with the violin or in a trio with both.
Secondly, there is a flourishing of a specific repertoire, typically intended for the salon or performed for pleasure.
The most acclaimed and prestigious venue for these developments was Paris.
At this time, Paris hosted the first factories for the new pedal harp and displayed a rapid growth in music schools and music publishers.
In this scenario, several Italian composers, who lived in the French Capital between 1780 and 1810, and who were often connected through acquaintance and reciprocal respect, devoted specific, though occasional, attention to the harp.
Among these authors we may recall professional Opera composers (such as Paisiello and Cherubini), refined and cultivated composers of instrumental music (Viotti and Clementi) and pedagogues and pianists such as Pollini.
These are the determining factors of the musical pieces selected for this recording, all written during the 20 years between 1782 and 1802.
The selection includes three original pieces and three transcriptions, which deserve particular attention.