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A Brief History of the Harpsichord
An instrument used through the 15th and the 18th centuries, Which was then modified and made into the Pianoforte. -
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world.
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A History of the Piano
Bartolomeo Cristofori, the inventor of the Pianoforte. This was a modified version of the harpsichord, and was often called "hammer harpsichord". The pianoforte struck one of the strings with a small hammer opposed to plucking them like the harpsichord did. -
Christian Ernst Friederici, a pupil of Gottfried Silbermann, had been thinking up many different ways to design a piano. The pyramid piano, which was a piano that were grand-shaped pianos set vertically, but not to be confused with an upright piano.
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A History of the Piano
Although this instrument did not become popular until after the Seven Years' War in Germany, Johann Christoph Zumpe had come up with a piano of a different shape. -
The upright piano, first made by Domenico del Mela. It would look like a grand piano stood upright, similar to an upright as we know it today.
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George Frederic Handel's Messiah was first performed on this day in Ireland. Most of Handel's music is played on the piano.
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Francisco Perez Mirabal, a spanish piano maker, The stringing is unusual in that there are three strings for each note in the treble. Through its process of plucking, it would create an unusual harmonic combination.
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A History of the Piano
Andre Stein becomes a well known piano maker and designer. -
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is born. Who, through his childhood and adult life will compose many fabulous pieces of music.
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During this year, Beethoven was born. Another composer who wrote many well known songs. One known today is Fur Elise
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John Joseph Merlin came to England and introduced the "una corda" pedal which moved the action to one side, hitting only two strings instead of three, making the piano quieter.
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Broadwood introduced and invented the susatining pedal which, if you are playing a note and you press this pedal, that note, or several notes that you were playing will be sustained and as long as your foot is still on the pedal, you may take your hand off of those notes but the sound will linger on.
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John Isaac Hawkins invented the first true upright piano. In this piano, strings ran below the keyboard with hitch pins at the bottom (unlike the pyramid piano where the strings ran up from the keyboard to the top). The compass was five octaves with an octave span of 158 mm., which is narrow.
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Erard made a grand for Napoleon, which had a Viennese action and five pedals.
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During this year Johann Strauss was born, a musician who wrote Waltzes, Polkas, Marches and many other types of music.
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During this year Ignace Joseph Pleyel opened a factory and also was the first to make a double grand, two pianos in one case, with one keyboard at each end.
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Frederic Chopin was born on this day, and grew up to be an amazing pianist, writer and musician.
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Babcock, an American inventor, patented the full iron frame. Since the strings vibrate from the plate at both ends, vibrations absorbed by the plate result in energy loss to the desired (efficient) sound transmission channel, namely the bridge and the soundboard.
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Paint-covered hammers with rabbit's fur and sheep's wool felt were used. during this time, people also used two layers of felt. Buckskin was still commonly used for the top treble.
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Wilke of Breslau invented the first hammer covering machine, although it was not adopted for some time.
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Steinweg was making grand pianos in Germany and later moved to America where in 1853 the company name was changed to Steinway.
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Most larger grands and uprights had seven octaves, going down to A. While the pianos before this time only went down to a C.
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This is roughly the date when the classical piano-making period gave way to the more modern period, exemplified for example by the greater use of iron frames.
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D. H. Baldwin established his firm in America.
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Invented by Henri Founeaux, the player piano was a piano that could run itself along a piano roll to play a musical piece in real time according to the drum that was in it at the time.
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The last square piano to be made by Broadwood. It was dropped because the cottage piano was more popular in the home.
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Scott Joplin was an American composer and pianist. He was known for his unique ragtime compositions, and was also known as the "King of Ragtime".
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Oblong wrest pins went out, in favour of square pins. Also by this time machines were used more for hammer covering.
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Spring and loop actions in grands, sometimes incorrectly known as simplex actions, were being made by Herrburger Brooks. This action is a single escapement action.
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George Gershwin is born on this day, who made a connection to classical and jazz through his song Rhapsody in Blue.
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This upright piano was customized for composer Irving Berlin, with a special transposing lever beneath the keyboard, allowing the pianist to play in any key without the need to transpose.
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Steinway stopped using ivory on piano keys.
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These instruments show that electronic keyboards are no longer pianos, since they have neither hammers nor strings. Keys activate sounds digitally programmed on microchips and the sound can be heard only through an amplifier or earphones. However, the keyboard has not changed.
