{"id":13250,"date":"2023-04-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-24T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=13250"},"modified":"2023-09-13T09:57:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T16:57:25","slug":"who-invented-the-piano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/who-invented-the-piano\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Invented the Piano?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Who invented the piano? This monumental feat is credited almost entirely to one person: Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1751). A native of Padua, Italy, Cristofori is responsible for the innovations that define what makes a piano, a piano today. Later, further innovations by S\u00e9bastien \u00c9rard, Johann Andreas Stein, Americus Backers, and John Broadwood would create the piano features many of us take for granted today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s trace the history of the piano through these innovators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><p><strong>Table of Contents:<\/strong><\/p><nav><ol><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#before-the-piano\">Before the Piano<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#who-invented-the-piano-about-bartolomeo-cristofori\">About Bartolomeo Cristofori<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#pianos-after-cristofori\">Pianos After Cristofori<\/a><\/li><li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-piano-today\">The Piano Today<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"before-the-piano\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Before the Piano<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To fully appreciate the inventor who invented the piano, it helps to know a bit about the instruments that came before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>hammered dulcimer<\/strong> is an early ancestor of the piano. It uses a very simple version of the piano&#8217;s mechanism: hammers that hit strings to create sound. The difference is that the dulcimer requires the player to hold the hammers, whereas later keyboard instruments have a controller (keyboard) to make this more efficient. Hammered dulcimers are common across cultures, from Europe to Asia to the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-1024x732.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a hammered dulcimer.\" class=\"wp-image-15341\" style=\"width:515px;height:368px\" width=\"515\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-1024x732.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-300x214.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-768x549.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-1536x1097.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082643\/hammered-dulcimer-2048x1463.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 515px) 100vw, 515px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The <strong>clavichord<\/strong> was played in the Middle Ages all the way to the Baroque and Classical eras. This is a small, boxy instrument whose strings are struck by a brass tangent. Clavichords are pretty quiet, so they were used more for personal home enjoyment than performance. In some fretted clavichords, multiple notes share the same string, so playing those notes together is not possible.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord-1024x884.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a clavichord.\" class=\"wp-image-15340\" style=\"width:495px;height:427px\" width=\"495\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord-1024x884.png 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord-300x259.png 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord-768x663.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord-1536x1326.png 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13082432\/clavichord.png 1766w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The <strong>harpsichord<\/strong> is still sometimes used today. Its strings are plucked, not hammered, and many harpsichords have two keyboards, one on top of the other. Harpsichords have a bright sound and were used to play <em>continuo<\/em> (a type of accompaniment) in Baroque music\u2014something you can hear in Vivaldi and Bach compositions. Harpsichords remained popular even when pianofortes arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord-918x1024.png\" alt=\"Illustration of a harpsichord\" class=\"wp-image-15342\" style=\"width:489px;height:545px\" width=\"489\" height=\"545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord-918x1024.png 918w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord-269x300.png 269w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord-768x857.png 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord-1376x1536.png 1376w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13084044\/harpsichord.png 1758w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"who-invented-the-piano-about-bartolomeo-cristofori\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Who invented the piano? About Bartolomeo Cristofori<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Bartolomeo Cristofori was born in 1655 in Padua, Italy. In 1688, he began working in the court of Grand Prince Ferdinando I de&#8217; Medici, who was a well-known patron of the arts. In those days, earning a living in the arts meant working for a wealthy noble such as a prince or king. This may be why Cristofori is not a mainstream name: not much is known about him because he was seen as an employee of a noble&#8217;s court. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While it may seem unfair that Cristofori never got the fame he deserved, he may never have had the time, money, and resources to create the piano as we know it without the patronage of the prince. Ferdinando I was an instrument enthusiast who granted Cristofori a workshop and apprentices to pursue his life&#8217;s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cristoforis-pianoforte\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Bartolomeo Cristofori invents the pianoforte<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We can presume 1700 as the birth year of the pianoforte thanks to a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/toah\/hd\/cris\/hd_cris.htm\">historical records<\/a>. An inventory of all of the Grand Prince&#8217;s instruments lists an &#8220;arpicimbalo&#8221; that was &#8220;newly invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori.&#8221; In a 1711 description written by poet and journalist Scipione Maffei, this instrument is called a &#8220;gravicembalo col piano, e forte&#8221; (&#8220;harpischord with soft and loud&#8221;). Another writer, court musician Federigo Meccoli, notes that the &#8220;arpicimbalo del piano e&#8217; forte&#8221; was created by Cristofori in 1700.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Who invented the piano? Grand piano by Bartolomeo Cristofori: a smaller, black, piano-shaped instrument in a white museum background.\" class=\"wp-image-15343\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/pianote-blog.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/13091224\/Cristofori-Grand-Piano-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The oldest surviving grand piano created by Cristofori at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/501788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a>. This instrument is dated to 1720.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So what was special about Cristofori&#8217;s pianoforte? Well, it&#8217;s in the name! You may know that &#8220;piano&#8221; means soft and &#8220;forte&#8221; means loud. The pianoforte&#8217;s main innovation was the ability to play dynamics based on the pianist&#8217;s touch: play harder to sound louder; play lighter to sound softer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This fundamental feature of pianos is often taken for granted today. But in Cristofori&#8217;s time, keyboard instruments couldn&#8217;t do this well. Clavichords can technically produce touch-sensitive dynamics, but they were compact, quiet, and had limited range. Harpsichords, meanwhile, couldn&#8217;t play dynamics based on touch at all because their strings are plucked, not hammered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"escapement\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Escapement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another of Cristofori\u2019s innovations was <strong>escapement<\/strong>. This refers to a piano hammer\u2019s ability to fall back immediately after hitting a string, thus allowing the string to resonate longer. He also employed a <em>check <\/em>mechanism to prevent the hammer from bouncing back and hitting the string, along with <em>dampers <\/em>to keep strings from resonating when they were not in use.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/collectionapi.metmuseum.org\/api\/collection\/v1\/iiif\/501788\/1018648\/main-image\" alt=\"Black and white photo of Cristofori pianoforte action system.\" style=\"width:627px;height:378px\" width=\"627\" height=\"378\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Inside of Cristofori&#8217;s pianoforte (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/art\/collection\/search\/501788\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"pianos-after-cristofori\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Pianos After Cristofori<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cristofori\u2019s piano mechanisms were revolutionary but also complex and expensive. In fact, they weren\u2019t well-received by everyone. Famously, Bach wasn&#8217;t a fan, and it took about 100 more years for the pianoforte to be established as a mainstream instrument by musicians. Even Mozart learned his keyboard skills on a harpsichord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sebastien-erard-and-double-escapement\" style=\"font-size:28px\">S\u00e9bastien \u00c9rard and Double Escapement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Cristofori\u2019s escapement changed piano playing forever, but it was still rather clunky. French piano maker S\u00e9bastien \u00c9rard took pianos to the next level by inventing the <strong>double escapement<\/strong>. This mechanism enables the player to quickly repeat a note without completely resetting the action, saving time. We can credit \u00c9rard with giving us the ability to play fast repeating notes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Queen Victoria&#039;s Erard Piano\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/42dVW7Btjmc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Erard piano enjoyed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This development happened in the 1800s, a full 100 years after Cristofori\u2019s pianoforte burst onto the scene. Rumor has it that \u00c9rard showed his double escapement to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yamaha.com\/en\/musical_instrument_guide\/piano\/mechanism\/mechanism003.html\">Beethoven<\/a> in 1803 and influenced the composer\u2019s ensuing piano works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"johann-andreas-stein-and-the-prellmechanik\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Johann Andreas Stein and the Prellmechanik<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another notable piano maker was Johann Andreas Stein, an Austrian. His piano action, the \u201cPrellmechanik\u201d (often referred to as the <strong>Stein action<\/strong> or Viennese action) was very different from Cristofori\u2019s original. The hammer faces the opposite way and the mechanisms are much simpler. The fulcrum is at the end of the key, making it faster and more responsive. These pianos were louder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"broadwood-pianos-and-the-pedal\" style=\"font-size:28px\">English Pedal Makers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While many sources claim Cristofori was responsible for creating the <em>una corda<\/em> piano, we&#8217;re not entirely sure who invented the sustain pedal. It is believed, however, that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Piano_pedals#Pedals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">English piano makers<\/a> like John Broadwood and Americus Backers were responsible for developing the sustain pedal. Broadwood &amp; Sons is still in business today!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-piano-today\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>The Piano Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The piano has come a long way. It is, at its core, a fascinating and beautifully complex instrument. The modern piano has around 10,000 moving parts and each key has about 100 parts in its action alone. That\u2019s a lot of parts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, the piano continues to evolve. We have electric pianos that use pick-ups, digital pianos that rely on sampling or modeling, and even hybrid pianos that combine the authentic feel of an acoustic action with 21st-century digital features. Who knows where the piano will take us next?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/history-of-the-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Brief History of the Piano<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-pianos-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How Pianos Work<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/how-to-buy-piano\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Buy a Piano<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h3 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>Master the Piano YOUR Way \ud83d\udd25<\/b><\/h3><p>As a Pianote Member, you\u2019ll get access to our 10-step Method, song library, and growing community of piano players just like you. Plus: get coached by world-class pianists and learn whenever you  want, wherever you want, and whatever you want.<\/p><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/trial\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TRY PIANOTE FOR 7 DAYS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sources and Further Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/toah\/hd\/vien\/hd_vien.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Piano: Viennese Instruments &#8211; Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.metmuseum.org\/toah\/hd\/cris\/hd_cris.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Piano: The Pianofortes of Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655\u20131731) &#8211; Metropolitan Museum of Art<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/2015\/5\/4\/8539727\/piano-invented-bartolomeo-cristofori\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Who invented the piano? And why was he forgotten? &#8211; Vox<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bartolomeo Cristofori isn&#8217;t a household name, but he almost singlehandedly invented one of the world&#8217;s most popular instrument.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":13260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13250"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15346,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13250\/revisions\/15346"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}