Sébastien Érard Facts for Kids

Sébastien Érard, a famous instrument maker

An Érard piano

Sébastien Érard (born Sebastian Erhard on April 5, 1752 – died August 5, 1831) was a French instrument maker. He was originally from Germany. Érard was very good at making pianos and harps. He made these instruments much better and helped create the modern piano we know today.

The Life of Sébastien Érard
Érard's Harp Inventions
Érard's Piano Inventions
Famous Musicians and Érard Pianos
Images for kids
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The Life of Sébastien Érard

Érard was born in Strasbourg, a city in France. When he was a boy, he loved drawing and understanding how things were built. His father was an upholsterer, which meant he worked with furniture. This gave young Sébastien a chance to use his clever hands.

When Érard was 16, his father passed away. He then moved to Paris and started working for a harpsichord maker. His amazing skill was quickly noticed by famous musicians and other instrument makers. Even though his boss was a bit jealous and fired him, Érard soon found new opportunities.

A 1914 Érard upright piano from London

Before he was 25, Érard started his own business. His first workshop was in the home of a duchess who supported him. He built his very first piano in 1777 in his Paris workshop. About 15 years later, he moved his business to London to stay safe during the French Revolution. His fame was growing, and important people like King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette had asked him to make instruments.

In 1796, Érard returned to Paris. He soon started making grand pianos, similar to English ones, but with his own improvements. In 1808, he visited London again. Two years later, he created his first harp with a special "double-movement" system. He had already made harps better, but this new one was a huge step forward. It became so popular that he focused only on making these harps for a while. People say he sold harps worth a lot of money in just one year!

In 1812, he went back to Paris. He kept working to make his pianos and harps even better. In 1823, he made his best grand piano, which had a "double escapement" system. Érard died in Passy, a part of Paris.

Érard's Harp Inventions

An Érard harp

The clever mechanism inside an Érard harp

Tuning an Érard harp

In 1794, Érard got his first patent in England for a harp. This harp was much better than older ones. It had a clever fork system that let players shorten the strings. This meant the harp could play in many different musical keys.

Érard's most famous harp invention was the "double movement" system with seven pedals. He perfected this in 1810. This system allows each string to be shortened by one or two semitones, which creates a full tone change. This means a harpist can play in any musical key or use all the notes. This invention was so popular that Érard sold many harps in the first year it came out.

You can still see one of these amazing harps at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg, Germany.

Érard's Piano Inventions

Andrés Bello's Érard piano in a museum in Chile

Érard's grand piano design from 1821 is very important. It's like the grandparent of modern grand pianos! He invented something called the "double escapement" action. This makes it much easier for a pianist to repeat notes quickly.

Many of Érard's ideas are still used in pianos today. For example, he was the first maker in Paris to put pedals on pianos. His pianos had several pedals, not just one or two. There was the usual pedal that makes notes ring longer (sustaining pedal). There was also a pedal to shift the hammers, a soft pedal (celeste), and even a pedal that made a buzzing sound (bassoon pedal). He also made a knee lever that could make the hammers hit only one string. Érard also improved other parts of the piano, like the soundboard and the way it was tuned. Almost all these ideas are still part of how modern pianos are made.

Famous Musicians and Érard Pianos

Alkan's Érard grand piano-pédalier at the Musée de la musique in Paris

Many very famous musicians loved Érard's pianos. Some of them include Charles-Valentin Alkan, Beethoven, Chopin, Fauré, Haydn, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Wagner, Verdi, and Ravel. These are just a few of the great composers who owned Érard pianos.

The famous pianist Paderewski even traveled with his own Érard piano when he went on concert tours.

Franz Liszt, another famous pianist, played an Érard piano in Paris in 1824. Érard even sponsored Liszt for a while, so when Liszt toured England, he played Érard pianos.