Musicology Annotation << Back The Pedal Harp in Russia During the Late 18th and First Half of the 19th Centuries Sergeev Maxim V. The mid-1770s saw the pedal harp appearing in the Russian Imperial Court and as part of the curricular program at the Educational Society for Noble Maidens. This notwithstanding, the instrument did not take hold with the Russian public. Despite the concert activity of J.Chr. Hochbrücker, who performed on a pedal harp while touring across northern Europe from Copenhagen to St. Petersburg, it was a double-strung Davids harp that was common among the German-originated Russians and wealthier class. It was not until the mid-1780s that the training in playing the pedal harp, its importation, largely from France, and Russia’s own local manufacture began to gain momentum following the concert and lecturing activities of harpists S. Hartmann, J.B. Cardon and, at a later stage, of A.N. Lepin. Single-action pedal harps built in Sebastien Erard’s factory in France were coming onto the Russian market through Cardon and Lepin, while Erard’s London-built harps were actively sold by St. Petersburg’s builder and merchant H.H. Faveryear. The end of the 18 th century saw instrument makers J. Arhusen, J. Brell, H. Lüdwig, Rollen, S. Sirensen, Foght, Scheyermann, E. Scheffer, C.R. Schröder of St. Petersburg and Moscow establishing themselves in the manufacture of pedal harps. Also active in the making of harps were Faveryear and J.C. Schultz, the father of the celebrated harpists. Beginning from 1817, double-action harps began to be sold in Moscow, with harpist А.М. Dumpuchel striving to popularize this kind of harp through her concerts, teaching and harp-selling activities. By the 1840s, one or two harps of different kinds could be found in the homes of the wealthier class and nobility. With Faveryear and Schultz passing away in the 1830s and the harp falling out of popularity as the piano evolved, the harp-making in Russia came to a halt. These latest findings can further the research into how deeply the art of harp penetrated Russia’s social life during the late 18 th and fi rst half of the 19 th centuries and help to follow the changes in harp technology during the first quarter of the 19 th century. The content of this paper can be used in the attribution of harps still extant in museums. Keywords: Pedal harp, Alymova, Davids harp, J.Chr. Hochbrücker, Cousineau, Nadermann, S. Erard, J. Schultz, H.H. Faveryear, J.C. Schwieso, J.B. Cardon, historic and cultural attribution of musical instruments. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.8.2023.1329 Pp. 03-12.