The piano was invented by Bartolommeo Cristofori in Italy, 1709. The first
piano was four octaves whereas a modern piano is seven and half octaves.
The piano produces sound when the hammers strike its strings. The piano
was invented to control dynamics by touch which its predecessor, the
harpsichord, could not do.
The Cristofori piano was wing-shaped with a curved body and a lid that could
be raised. By 1800, upright pianos were created. The strings on an upright
piano run perpendicular to the keyboard.
Some improvements on the Cristofori piano were thicker strings which give it
a greater volume. And in 1830, Alpahaeus Babcock introduced cross
stringing, fanning the strings out over a longer section of the soundboard,
giving it more resonance and spreading out the strings.
The evolution of the piano: Dulcimer to Clavichord to the Virginal to the
Spinet to the Harpsichord to the Cristofori Pianoforte to the extended range
piano of Beethoven's time to the Upright piano to the Square Grand piano to
the Modern Grand Piano to the electic keyboard.
Teen Piano Index
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