“Victor Salvi, who was known as the ‘Lord of the Strings’ for the exquisite harps the Chicago native produced, has died, according to Lyon & Healy harps,” writes Maureen O’Donnell in Thursday’s (5/14) Chicago Sun-Times. “Salvi, 95, who also played the instrument, performed under legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini and comes from a family whose history was entwined with the strings of the instrument. His harp-maker father Rodolfo Salvi immigrated to Chicago from Viggiano, a center of harp production in Italy…. Victor Salvi’s brother Alberto Salvi was celebrated as one of the world’s greatest harp players…. Young Victor learned to play from his sister, Aida, who performed at a Chicago opera house…. He attended Marshall High School and won a musical competition that bestowed a scholarship to attend Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy.… In World War II, Mr. Salvi served in a U.S. Navy band at Great Lakes naval station. It was difficult to find parts or repair experts, so he learned the mechanics of the harp. He started building the instruments in the 1950s and returned to Genoa, Italy to produce them…. Salvi harps are renowned for their ethereal sound and appearance…. In the 1980s, Mr. Salvi bought the harp-maker Lyon & Healy, established in Chicago in 1864.”
Posted May 15, 2015
