Salvi Harps
Italian manufacturer of concert, lever, and electroacoustic harps founded by harpist and instrument maker Victor Salvi.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Salvi Harps is an Italian manufacturer of professional and educational harps, best known for concert harps used by orchestras, conservatories, soloists, and harpists worldwide. The business was founded in 1956 by Victor Salvi, an Italian-American harpist and instrument maker whose family had roots in Venetian musical-instrument making. Salvi developed his practical knowledge of the instrument both as a performer and as a repairer and builder. During the Second World War, shortages of replacement parts encouraged him to continue the family tradition of instrument making. He repaired harps in Chicago and built his first harp in New York in 1954 before establishing a manufacturing business in Genoa two years later. The original enterprise was called N.S.M., an abbreviation of “nuovi strumenti musicali,” or “new musical instruments.” In 1974, production moved from Genoa to Piasco in Piedmont, where local woodworking traditions provided a suitable base for the construction of large wooden string instruments. Salvi’s instruments are associated with the use of traditional materials and woodworking methods, including spruce and maple components. The company’s production covers several major harp categories: concert or pedal harps, lever harps, and electroacoustic harps. Concert harps, also known as double-action pedal harps, form a central part of the company’s professional offering, while lever and electroacoustic models broaden its reach to students, folk and Celtic harp players, contemporary performers, and amplified performance settings. A major turning point came in 1987, when Salvi Harps acquired the insolvent Chicago-based manufacturer Lyon & Healy. Lyon & Healy, established in 1889, was one of the other historically significant large-scale concert-harp makers. The acquisition gave Salvi a substantial presence in the United States and linked two important traditions in modern harp manufacturing. Lyon & Healy continues to operate as a subsidiary in Chicago, while Salvi’s principal manufacturing base remains in Piasco. Salvi has also developed cultural and institutional activities around the instrument. The Fondazione Victor Salvi, established in 2000, supports harp performance internationally through competitions, scholarships, commissions of new music, and instrument loans. In 2006, the company opened the Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi in Piasco, a museum dedicated to the history and development of the harp and containing a significant collection of historical instruments. According to the cited reference material, Salvi employs approximately 90 people at its Italian operation and produces about 2,000 harps annually, with roughly half consisting of concert harps and the balance made up of lever and electroacoustic instruments. The company also relies on specialist supply relationships: it acquired British string maker Bow Brand for strings, while harp mechanics have been manufactured in Switzerland. Salvi’s overall positioning is that of a high-quality, specialist harp maker combining Italian craftsmanship, professional concert-harp expertise, international distribution, and support for the broader harp community.
History
Salvi Harps traces its origins to Victor Salvi, an Italian-American harpist and instrument maker born in Chicago in 1920. Salvi came from a family connected to Italian musical-instrument craftsmanship. His father was a Venetian maker of lutes, pianos, and harps who had worked in Viggiano, a southern Italian town known for instrument making, before emigrating with his wife to the United States in 1913. Victor and his siblings Alberto and Aida learned to play the harp, giving Victor an unusually direct understanding of the instrument as both a performer and a builder. Salvi served as a harpist in the United States Navy Band during the Second World War and subsequently performed with the New York Philharmonic and the NBC Symphony Orchestra. His transition toward manufacturing was partly practical. Wartime shortages made harp parts difficult to obtain, encouraging him to repair instruments and develop his own construction skills. He repaired harps in Chicago and built his first harp in New York in 1954. In 1956, Salvi founded a harp-making business in Genoa, Italy. The enterprise was initially named N.S.M., derived from the Italian phrase “nuovi strumenti musicali,” meaning “new musical instruments.” The business later became known as Salvi Harps. In 1974, production moved to Piasco in Piedmont, near Saluzzo. The location offered access to a regional woodworking tradition well suited to the manufacture of large, carefully finished wooden instruments. The company’s manufacturing activity developed around several classes of harp. Its professional concert instruments are double-action pedal harps designed for orchestral, solo, chamber, and institutional use. Salvi also makes lever harps, which are used in educational settings and in folk, Celtic, and other non-orchestral traditions, as well as electroacoustic harps intended for amplified or contemporary performance. The instruments use traditional structural materials such as spruce and maple. Salvi also developed specialist supply capabilities: the company acquired British string maker Bow Brand, while harp mechanics were produced in Switzerland according to the cited reference material. Salvi’s international position was strengthened in 1987 through its acquisition of Lyon & Healy, a Chicago manufacturer founded in 1889. Lyon & Healy had become insolvent, and the transaction brought the historic American maker into the Salvi organization. The acquisition created a transatlantic manufacturing structure, with Salvi’s principal workshop in Piasco and Lyon & Healy continuing to employ staff and operate in Chicago. The two brands represent important surviving traditions in large-scale concert-harp manufacture. Alongside production, Salvi established organizations dedicated to preserving and advancing harp culture. The Fondazione Victor Salvi was founded in 2000. Its activities include organizing competitions, providing scholarships, commissioning new works, and lending instruments to performers. These programs extend the company’s role beyond instrument sales by supporting the development of harpists and repertoire. In 2006, the Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi opened in Piasco. The museum houses a notable historical collection and provides a public institutional setting for the study and presentation of harp history. The reference material describes Salvi as one of the important manufacturers of high-quality harps. At the time of that account, approximately 90 employees in the Italian operation produced around 2,000 harps per year. About half were concert or double-action pedal harps, with the remainder consisting of lever and electroacoustic instruments. The associated Lyon & Healy operation in Chicago employed approximately 135 people. Exact current production, staffing, ownership, and management information is not established by the supplied sources, so the company’s present scale should be treated as requiring verification. Its documented identity, however, is clear: Salvi Harps is an Italian specialist manufacturer with a global professional market, a substantial American subsidiary, and a supporting role in international harp education and culture.
- 2006
Victor Salvi harp museum opens
[1]The Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi opened in Piasco with a collection of historic harps.
- 2000
Fondazione Victor Salvi is founded
[1]The foundation began supporting harpists and harp culture through competitions, scholarships, commissions, and instrument loans.
- 1987
Lyon & Healy is acquired
[1]Salvi Harps acquired the insolvent Chicago manufacturer Lyon & Healy, creating a major cross-Atlantic presence in concert-harp manufacturing.
- 1974
Manufacturing relocates to Piasco
[1]The workshop moved to Piasco in Piedmont, a location associated with woodworking and suitable for harp construction.
- 1956
N.S.M. is founded in Genoa
[1]Victor Salvi established the harp-making business in Genoa under the name N.S.M., an abbreviation for “new musical instruments.”
- 1954
Victor Salvi builds his first harp
[1]After repairing harps and developing instrument-making skills, Salvi built his first harp in New York.
- 1920
Victor Salvi is born in Chicago
[1]Victor Salvi was born in Chicago and later became both a professional harpist and instrument maker.
- 1913
Salvi family emigrates to the United States
[1]Victor Salvi’s father, a Venetian musical-instrument maker, emigrated from Italy to the United States with his wife.
Products and positioning
High-quality specialist harp maker combining Italian woodworking, professional concert-harp manufacturing, international distribution, and institutional support for harp performance.
Pedal harps
Concert harps
Salvi’s concert harps are professional double-action pedal instruments intended for orchestral, solo, chamber, conservatory, and other formal performance settings. They form a central part of the company’s manufacturing activity and are built from traditional woods including spruce and maple. The pedal mechanism allows performers to alter the pitch of each note across the instrument’s range, making this type of harp suitable for the chromatic demands of classical repertoire.
Lever harps
Lever harps
Lever harps provide a smaller or mechanically simpler format than full concert pedal harps and are used by students, teachers, folk and Celtic harpists, and performers working in non-orchestral traditions. Salvi’s lever-harp range broadens the company’s addressable market beyond professional symphonic performance while retaining its focus on crafted wooden instruments.
Electroacoustic instruments
Electroacoustic harps
Salvi’s electroacoustic harps are designed for settings in which the instrument must be connected to amplification or integrated into contemporary performance systems. They extend the traditional harp into amplified concerts, modern ensembles, recording environments, and other situations where controlled projection and electronic processing are useful.
Harp strings and accessories
Bow Brand strings
Bow Brand is a British string-making business acquired by Salvi and associated with the company’s supply of harp strings. The acquisition supports Salvi’s instrument-making operations and gives the broader group a specialist component capability in addition to complete harp production.
Brand decisions
2000
Creation of the Fondazione Victor SalviStrategyBackground
The company’s founder had a long-standing connection to harp performance as well as instrument making.
Action taken
The Victor Salvi foundation was established to organize competitions, provide scholarships, commission new harp works, and lend instruments.
Aftermath
The foundation became part of Salvi’s documented cultural and educational contribution to harp playing worldwide.
1987
Acquisition of Lyon & HealyM&ABackground
Lyon & Healy, a major Chicago harp manufacturer founded in 1889, had become insolvent.
Action taken
Salvi Harps acquired the American manufacturer and incorporated it into its broader business structure.
Aftermath
The transaction gave Salvi an enduring Chicago operating base and connected two historically important concert-harp manufacturers.
1974
Relocation of the manufacturing workshop to PiascoStrategyBackground
The company had begun in Genoa and sought a manufacturing base aligned with the woodworking requirements of harp construction.
Action taken
Salvi moved its workshop to Piasco in Piedmont, a village with an established woodworking tradition.
Aftermath
Piasco became the company’s principal Italian manufacturing location and remains associated with Salvi’s production and museum activities.
Recent events
- 2006
Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi opens in Piasco[1]
Other
Salvi opened a company-owned harp museum in Piasco with a substantial collection of historic harps and related material.
- 2000
Fondazione Victor Salvi is established[1]
Other
The foundation was created to support harp playing internationally through competitions, scholarships, commissions, and instrument loans.
- 1987
Salvi Harps acquires Lyon & Healy[1]
M&A
Salvi Harps acquired the insolvent Chicago harp manufacturer Lyon & Healy, expanding its presence in the United States and preserving a major historic harp-making operation.
- 1974
Salvi Harps moves production to Piasco[1]
Other
The company relocated its workshop from Genoa to Piasco in Piedmont, a locality with a longstanding woodworking tradition.
- 1956
Victor Salvi establishes harp-making business in Genoa[1]
Other
Victor Salvi founded a harp-making enterprise in Genoa under the name N.S.M., beginning the business that later became associated with Salvi Harps.
Sources1 sources
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