
Dear friends and colleagues,
Some of you may be interested in my article "New Perspectives on Cousineau’s Fourteen-Pedal Harp (Part I)" that has just been published in The American Harp Journal, vol. 29, no. 4 (Winter 2025), pp.10-18. This is the first of a two-part article reexamining the significance of the fourteen-pedal harp made in 1782 by Georges Cousineau. Held in a private collection, this legendary harp is rarely seen but has been loaned to the Ringve Music Museum in Trondheim, Norway, for its temporary exhibition Harpe (Harp), running from February 21, 2025, to December 20, 2026. The article also discusses a recently discovered nine-pedal harp made by Cousineau, held in a private collection. The second part of the article, to appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal, will cover the Ringve exhibition itself.
You can access the article using this link:
Kind regards,
Robert Adelson
Professor of Organology and Music History
Conservatoire de Nice/Université Côte d'Azur
Great article. The existance of 9- and 10-pedal harps reveals a lot about Cousineau's thinking, indicating that all three (including the rediscovered 14-pedal instrument) were conceived of as a product range rather than developmental steps. Together these harps, and this article, shift the focus and centre of double-action development from 1800s London to 1780s Paris.