The pedal harp, its probable first repertoire and some considerations on Madame de Genlis

Abstract

This paper discourses about the pedal harp and what would have possibly been its repertoire through the first decades of the 18^th century, a period before the first known publication of original compositions for the instrument. Thinking about the music that could have been performed by the harpists of that time, the text focuses on the improvisational practice of preludes and also on the harpist’s appropriation of a repertoire originally composed for other instruments, like the harpsichord or the pianoforte. Within this context, the paper also discourses about the figure of Madame de Genlis (1746-1830), an important harpist from the 18^th century, and on her opinions about the technique and possibilities of the pedal harp used during that time.