The History of the Piano

While a piano will likely be the most expensive instrument you ever purchase, it is also the most widely used instrument worldwide. So what is the history behind this costly investment that so many people are willing to make?

Let’s start with its full name: pianoforte. Most terms used in musical composition and descriptions are Italian words; the word piano means soft and the word forte means loud. The piano (the name was eventually shortened) was the first instrument, after its predecessors the clavichord and harpsichord, that had the ability to alternate between soft and loud sounds depending on the amount of pressure applied to the keys.

The modern piano is based on the version invented around 1700 by an Italian called Bartolomeo Cristofori. Cristofori was employed by a member of the legendary Medici family as their Keeper of Instruments when he built his first piano. It is believed that he set out to improve upon the harpsichord and clavichord that offered no volume variation to the performer and very little keyboard control. His pianoforte was a great improvement in these categories. The first pianos, however, were not much bigger than their predecessor the harpsichord and were similarly lightweight. His original piano lacked the metal frames that are now found in modern pianos, which meant that these early pianos produced much softer sounds and lighter tones.

It wasn’t until the eighteenth century when many major changes to this instrument's design occurred, which led to the development of the modern piano. The biggest piano-making hub was the Viennese School in Austria. Some of the most famous piano makers to come from this establishment included Johann Andreas Stein of Germany and his daughter, Nannette Streicher.

The first prototype of the modern piano was shown at a Paris exhibition in 1867 by Steinway pianos, an American manufacturer from Manhattan that had been started by the German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway. His pianos were so well received that they became the piano of choice for many European royal families and patrons of the arts. By the early 1900s, most piano manufacturers had incorporated the advancements made by Steinway into their pianos. These alterations included reversing the color of the keys (most early pianos had black keys while the accidental keys were white), increasing the keyboard from five octaves to seven, and adding iron frames, steel strings and felt hammers. A current Steinway piano weighs about six times more than the early model made by Cristofori.

"Piano Quality Buying Tips," another article from our learning center, discusses the mechanisms found in pianos. The most important features you look for in a piano today went through major transitions from the Cristofori period through the Steinway period of development. Components that were altered, such as the action, hammers, frame, soundboard and strings, are discussed in more detail in this article.

Today, pianos can be found in several different forms ranging from acoustic to digital. Other articles in our learning center review each type of piano to help you decide which type is best for your personal preferences and budget. Once you own or have access to a piano, check out our amazing resources for lessons in both our Learn Piano Online and Piano Software Review sites.

At TopTenREVIEWS We Do the Research So You Don’t Have To.™