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Vol. 86 July 18, 2026 No. 19

Erard

French

piano maker inventor

Biography

Erard, a Paris piano-maker, is credited by Spillane with introducing 'agraffes'—a method of anchoring piano strings—into his instruments around 1808 or earlier. Jonas Chickering later improved on Erard's original principle by casting the agraffes directly into his patented iron plate.

Highlights

  • Introduced 'agraffes' into his Paris-made pianos around 1808 or earlier.
  • Jonas Chickering later improved on his principle by casting the agraffes directly into an iron plate.

Source

Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 93.

Public domain.

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