The

Development

of

the

Piano

Loubna Maachi

Piano I – Pd. 1

Who invented the Piano?

Bartolomeo Cristofori (from Italy) is the

inventor of the piano, and he likely made them in the 1720s, because those

are the oldest pianos in existence.

What led him to do this?

At the time, the piano’s ancestor, the harpsichord, and it was limited to a

certain volume at which it can be played, and that

meant certain expressions and emotions couldn’t

be conveyed when playing. Bartolomeo Cristofori

eventually invented the piano, first calling it,

“gravicembalo col piano e forte” which means,

“soft and loud keyboard instrument.” The name

was eventually shortened to piano.

What was the piano before it became today’s

piano?

The piano’s ancestor is the harpsichord, which was invented in the 15th

century.

Show with

illustrations

how the

change happened over time.

A harpsichord.

One of Bartolomeo’s pianos, c. 1720.

A modern-day piano.

Compare the differences and similarities of these two instruments.

Differences Similarities

A harpischord’s strings are plucked, while a piano’s strings are hit with little hammers.

The harpsichord can only play at a certain volume, but because of a piano’s weighted keys, the player can alternate between volumes.

A harpsichord has two sets of strings, but a piano has only one.

Both instruments have strings (that are either plucked or struck with a hammer).

The harpsichord and the piano are keyboard instruments.