-
In 1655, the piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori.
-
Bartolomeo Cristofori invents forte and piano, which means soft and loud.
-
Domenico del Mela built the earliest known upright piano in 1739.
-
Theatrical pianist and composer Franz Liszt brought virtuosity and flair to piano playing and created the piano recital.
-
Frenchman Henri Fourneaux invents the player piano, which “plays itself” using a piano roll and mechanics.
-
The modern upright piano and grand pianos that are used today first appeared.
-
Digital pianos became available. They used digital sampling to produce the sound of every piano note. Later innovations include keyboards “weighted” to feel like a grand piano’s and onboard recording technology.
-
With MIDI technology, internet capability, onboard learning tools, computer screens and more, pianos enter the 21st century with hi-tech features that make them as popular as ever. In 2005, 144,000 digital pianos are sold in the US.
