Piano History – Beginnings, Changes & Today

"Since its invention in Italy around 1700 by
Bartolomeo Cristofori, a keeper of musical
instruments for the Medici, the piano has
become indispensable to our survival as a
civilized people. What else, after all, has
enriched society in so many different ways?"
[Jim Doherty, Smithsonian Magazine]

People hear someone playing a piano and instinctively smile. The heart can slow, or skip a beat as pleasant memories creep in. Hearing a favorite musical tune can cause a rush of emotion, as one recalls a special moment. The piano can do this like no other instrument. It's history has been with us for hundreds of years, over two thousand, if we throw in the odd looking hydraulic organs used by the Greeks and Romans.

The piano has long had an attractive keyboard of white and black keys secretly attached to soft hammers hitting a wide range of taut metal strings hidden in a lovely shaped glistening quality wood structure.

One of the first instruments with multiple strings on one instrument where the strings were hit by a hammer was the dulcimer [invented around the 12th Century].

The 14th and 15th Centuries saw the development of various kinds of keyboard stringed instruments. The harpsichord had strings that were plucked by a crow-quill plectrum mounted on the end of each key. Although popular for centuries, it had one drawback, the harpsichord could not make changes in dynamic expression. The next progressing invention was the clavichord which had hammers hitting the strings that could change the dynamics. The loudness or softness of the tone depends on how hard the key is depressed. However the clavichord was small and not loud enough to accompany other instruments.

In Europe, during the Baroque Period [1550 to 1750], musicians and artists were supported by the church, the state and the rich. Bartolomeo Cristofori worked at the court of Prince Ferdinand de’ Medici in Florence, Italy as a designer and custodian of keyboard instruments. Cristofori is considered to be the inventor of the piano. His invention of the “piano e forte” [soft and loud] utilized the best features of the harpsichord and the clavichord and made it possible to be able to play any work in the entire historical literature of Western music with variations of loud and soft, according to the player’s touch on the keyboard. Unfortunately, Cristofori’s design for the action was so complex that subsequent builders greatly simplified it for economy, resulting in a less efficient system, which was not widely accepted.

Pianoforte Cristofori Dated 1722 [Museum S M Roma]

Later, in the 18th Century, developments in action design were really a re-invention of the principles worked out by Cristofori. The scale was engineered with a scientific approach for proper string length, composition and striking point of the hammer. Around this time the key color changed to white with black sharps, having previously been the reverse. Iron bracing began to be used to strengthen the frame, which allowed the use of heavier hammers on thicker, higher tension strings. Felt, instead of leather, soon covered the hammers. Also at this time a smaller upright “cottage piano” was invented for the popular market.

The first American patent to improve the piano came in 1796. Soon after, Jonas Chickering started making successful and innovative pianos. Heinrich Steinweg immigrated to New York in 1853 and was soon opening a new era of pianos, with significant improvements in reliability and resilience, under the Steinway and Sons name. Other American piano manufacturers, along with Steinway, began the standardized parts idea along with assembly line construction that led to much lower prices.

1830s Piano in Kentucky Museum

The pianos of the 19th Century were louder, more expressive and responsive to the touch than any other instrument to this point in history. Versatility of expression made the piano the ultimate Romantic Era instrument.

The 19th Century was also an age of innovation, trial and error in piano design. Every style and combination imaginable was attemped, some successful, some not so much. The modern grand piano was developed in the early 1800's with a modern action and became much more of a solo instrument being louder than previous pianos.

In the 1890’s the “reproducing piano” [player piano] started to gain popularity and many famous artists made piano roll recordings, most of which are still available today. After the depression of the 1930’s sales or player pianos never recovered, due to alternatives to reproducing music [like the gramophone and radio].

That the piano has been possibly the most popular musical instrument in modern history can be exemplified by the fact that over 5000 different brands have been produced.

Conover 77 - Carved Louis XV Grand Piano - Circa 1920's

What does the future hold for the piano? So far, it is still an exciting, affordable and popular mode of musical expression. If the trends of history teach us anything, it would be to expect the piano to remain popular for a long time, but not necessarily in it’s current form. New patents are still applied for regularly and the engineering staff of piano builders are constantly probing for innovative improvements.

I close this broad coverage of the piano with a quote from my main data source, www.cantos.org, “The pianoforte stands first in importance among musical instruments”.

Lori Lewis
Piano Stylings
San Diego CA
California USA
1.888.635.8922
lori@lorilewis.com

You are the music while the music lasts. [TS Eliot]