Where is piano from

The story of the piano begins in Padua, Italy in , in the shop of a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori Many other stringed and keyboard instruments preceded the piano and led to the development of the instrument as we know it today. In the ancient world, strings were attached and stretched over bows, gourds, and boxes to amplify the sound; they were fastened by ties, pegs and pins; and they were plucked, bowed or struck to produce sounds.

Eventually, a family of stringed instruments with a keyboard evolved in Europe in the 14th century. The earliest of these was a dulcimer, a closed, shallow box over which stretched wires were struck with two wooden hammers. The dulcimer led to the development of the clavichord, which also appeared in the 14th century. These were followed by the spinet, virginal, clavecin, gravicembalo, and finally, the harpsichord in the 15th century.

The harpsichord, however, was limited to one, unvarying volume. Its softness and loudness could not be varied while playing. Therefore, performing artists could not convey the same degree of musical expression as that of most other instruments. The harpsichord was a particularly important development leading to the invention of the piano. An early model was dismissed by Johann Sebastian Bach — as possessing too heavy a touch and too weak a treble.

Powers, Wendy. Visiting The Met? Harpsichord Girolamo Zenti. Grand Piano Bartolomeo Cristofori. Clavichord Attributed to Christian Kintzing. Musical Instrument Guide. The Piano's Ancestor was a Monochord Instrument Instruments can be divided into three categories based on how they produce sounds. Origins of the piano. The Piano Has the Same Mechanism as the Dulcimer Although the piano can be classified as a string instrument due to the fact that the sounds come from the vibration of strings, it can also be classified as a percussion instrument because a hammer strikes those strings.

The dulcimer. The clavichord. The harpsichord. The mechanism invented by Cristofori. Some were plucked instruments, including the virginal, spinet and harpsichord. Who invented the piano? The modern piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori — of Padua. The first piano he built was about the year or Historians are not in total agreement as to the exact date.

It was Sebastian LeBlanc who suggested that the black and white keys be switched. The three Cristofori pianos that survive today date from the s. Both of these instruments looked like the piano that exists today. The major difference between them and a modern day piano is the way their sound was produced. In a clavichord the strings are struck by tangents, while in a harpsichord they are plucked by quills.

The clavichord aimed to improve on this shortcoming. While it still plucked at strings, it allowed the strings to continue vibrating as long as the key was depressed. As a result players had more control over the volume of their instrument.

The technically more advanced clavichord became very popular but it still had its weaknesses. Although it allowed artists to be more expressive, the tone of the harpsichord was too delicate. It was not suited for large hall performances and would often be drowned by other instruments. The piano was likely formed as an attempt to combine the loudness of the harpsichord with the control of the clavichord.

Cristofori was able to solve the fundamental mechanical problem of piano design : the hammer must strike the key but not remain in contact with it.

That was the problem with the clavichord: the tangent remained in contact with the clavichord string, thus dampening the sound.

Additionally, it was imperative that the hammer return to its rest position without bouncing violently, and that the instrument allow one to repeat a note rapidly.