History of the Piano

Plotting the piano

Although historians are not entirely sure about the date, it is widely believed that Bartolomeo Cristofori had invented the pianoforte in Italy by 1701. Cristofori only produce about 20 pianofortes before his death in 1731 and only three of those original pianofortes still survive to this day.

Harpsichord and piano

The piano is a direct descendant of the harpsichord and Cristofori was himself a harpsichord maker. From this knowledge he was able to solve the problem of the hammer striking the strings without muting the sound and be able to repeat this process frequently and rapidly.

The damper pedal

Cristofori influenced a generation of piano builders, including Gottfried Silbermann, who was initially an organ builder. Silbermann basically constructed the exact same models as Cristofori, except that he added a damper pedal, or what later become known as the sustain pedal. Bach was one of the first musicians to endorse Silbermann's creation, after an initial disregard.

The Mozart piano

In the late 18th century piano making began to flourish. The Viennese Stein family began producing pianos with wooden frames that featured two strings per note and leather covered hammers. Mozart composed many of his concertos and sonatas on these instruments, and even today, exact replicas are being reproduced in order to recreate an authentic performance of his music. The Mozart-era pianos had much less sustain and much softer and clearer tone than today's pianos.

The modern piano

From the late 17th century through much of the 19th century, the Mozart piano went through many changes, which ultimately led to what we know as the piano today. Most of these changes were a direct result of composers wanting to tweak the sustain for a more powerful sound. The Industrial Revolution also made technological resources such as quality steel used for strings more widely available and affordable.

Elbow grease

All the advancements of the piano over the years ending up leading piano playing to a more taxing and strenuous activity than it initially was. The force needed to depress the keys became much greater and the length the key had to travel increased as well. Also, the tonal range of the piano expanded from 5 octaves to more than seven octaves, which is what we know as the modern piano. The upright, grand, and concert pianos evolved into their present form by the end of the 19th century. Improvements continue to be made in the manufacturing process.

More information on pianos