Sebastian Erard was born in Strasbourg on 5th April 1752, and his name was originally spelled Erhard. He moved to Paris in 1768 and worked for an unknown harpsichord maker .Erard wanted to explore the fundamentals of instrument making, and it soon became apparent that he was a genius at finding ways around mechanical problems, a skill which came to the attention of the Abbe Roussier. His success as an instrument maker caused envy among his rivals who accused him of working outside the corporation without a licence. Louis XVI protected him and granted him a licence on his own authority. In 1777 Erard made his first square piano ; it was probably a copy of an English Zumpe piano. A portrait of Erard was shown at the International Inventions Exhibition of 1885. Once his reputation was established, Erard persuaded his brother-in-law to join him in Paris. Their first pianos were squares with bichords throughout, and a five-octave compass. Erard made a combination of piano and organ with two keyboards for Marie Antoinette.
The revolution of 1789 destroyed his business in Paris and in 1792 he opened a factory in Great Marlborough Street, London. Apparently he left his brother Jean-Baptiste to carry on the French branch. According to the London Post Office Directory, he opened an English branch as early as 1786, at 18 Great Marlborough Street, London. However, this may have been just for selling instruments at first. In 1902 they moved to 189 Regent Street, and then in 1904 to 158a New Bond Street, London.
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