The Harp Makers

From: http://www.lyonhealy.com/about.htm:

"Lyon and Healy was founded in Chicago in 1864 by George Washburn Lyon and Patrick J. Healy, Lyon & Healy built its first harp, Model 21 #501, in 1889. It was the sincere love of music and the enterprising nature of the young and ambitious Healy which drove the company to improve an instrument already thought to be perfect. It was Healy’s covenant which set the stage for decade after decade of groundbreaking innovation in engineering and craftsmanship. His words articulate Lyon & Healy’s most basic motivation: “Let us build a harp that will no longer worry its owner because of its liability to get out of order easily; let us build a harp that will go around the world without loosening a screw.”

For 125 years, Lyon & Healy artisans have maintained Healy’s commitment to a practice of old-world craftsmanship while embracing new-world innovations."


From http://www.thevictorsalvifoundation.com/

"Victor Salvi was born in Chicago in the 1920s. He was the youngest son of Rodolfo Salvi, a talented Venetian violinmaker and harp restorer from Venice, who lived in Viggiano, a small town in the South of Italy renowned for its harpists. Rodolfo immigrated to Chicago with his family fleeing the First World War and it was here where Victor was born. His sister Aida, the harpist of the Chicago Opera House and a well-known composer, was Victor's first tutor of the harp. Alberto, the eldest son, was also a harpist whose prosperous career made the celebrated Nicanor Zabaleta declared him as "The greatest harpist of all time".

Victor was not only a harpist but also a harp maker. He began studying the science of the instrument whilst in the Navy and after consulting with engineers and experts he embarked on building his very own harp. The drive was to construct an instrument that would have a better mechanism and thus better sound. The first prototype came to live in 1954, in a basement workshop in New York.


In 1955 Victor moved to Italy in the quest for his roots and in the search of craftsmanship. The Salvi Harps Company was founded in Genoa, at the beautiful Villa Maria. Later it moved to Piasco, a small village nestled in the rolling hills of northern Italy where the tradition of wood working dates back to medieval times. With the help of the local craftmen Victor turned Salvi harps into one of the leading producers of harps in the world which now has several outlets including Tokyo, London and Paris.

In the 1980s Victor turned his interest towards the eldest and first harp makers in America, Lyon & Healy. He had played their harps during his younger years and always admired the precise nature of their products. It was with enthusiasm that he acquired the company to restore it to its old glory.

Victor Salvi made many advances for the concert pedal harp. Intensive research on the mechanics of the harp led to the introduction of the first corrosion-resistant stainless-steel action. This action utilizes specially engineered nylon bushings and double bearing surfaces to reduce friction within the harp, thus, allowing the pedals to move freely with the action, in one silent, fluid motion. Salvi strove to further improve the performance capabilities of the harp through the invention of a high-grade laminated neck. The resilience of this laminated neck adds structural resistance to the pull of the strings, safeguarding the harp against any damage to the neck while sustaining its intonation."