The History of the Piano

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The History of the Piano
Stewart Schlazer 2005
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Bartolomeo Cristofori

• Born 1655
• Died 1731
• Italian
• Inventor of the piano!

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Bartolomeo Cristofori 2

• Keyboard Instrument Designer
• Designed for Prince Ferdinand d Medici of
  Florence
• Before piano there was
• Harpsichord
• Clavichord
• Various others

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Harpsichord

• Looked like modern-day piano
• When keys were depressed a small
  metal hook would pluck a
  wire string
• Drawback
• No ability to control the
  dynamic level of each note
• Unable to evoke emotion

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Clavichord

• Aimed at improving faults of harpsichord
• Still plucked at wire strings
• Allowed the string to vibrate
  as long as key was depressed
• More control over volume
  and emotion

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Clavichord 2

• Not perfect yet
• Allowed expression, but
• Tone was too delicate
• Not suited for performance in
  large halls
• Drowned out by other
  instruments

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The Inventor Invents!

• Keyboardists wanted
• The power of the harpsichord
• The volume control mechanism of the clavichord
• Cristofori
• Replaced the wire hooks
  with leather-padded hammers

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Pianoforte

• The result of his invention
• The Pianoforte
• An instrument that plays
  both loud and soft
• Later shortened to PIANO

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Name That Keyboard!

• Various types of keyboards will appear
• Say the name of it
• The name will appear after you click
• Good luck!

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Name That Keyboard!
Harpsichord
Harp
(Just kidding)
Clavichord
Piano
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Congratulations!

• How many did you get right?
• 0-1 Study your keyboards
• 2-3 Amazing, simply amazing
• 4 Absolute virtuoso!!

MAGNIFICO
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Discontent

• New invention receives little applause
• Italians and Prince dMedici dont like it
• Johann Sebastian Bach found the keys too heavy to
  the touch
• Many harpsichord players dismissed the new feel
  of the piano as too difficult to master

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Popular Pianos

• During the 18th century
• Other European Inventors tinkered with the
  instruments design
• Austria and Germany
• Johann Christian Bach
• Played the pianoforte in public
• Popularity began to soar

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Popular Pianos 2

• Helping to build fame
• Bi-colored keys
• More sturdy frames
• More precise stringing techniques
• A piano in the home was considered to be the
  height of fashion

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Romanticism

• Romanticism
• Encouraged expression through art
• Piano became instrument of choice
• Solo piano performances in concert
• Franz Liszt
• Virtuoso
• Like a modern-day rock star

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19th Century

• Brought pianos into homes of middle-class
• Jonas Chickering in 1823
• Reduced price
• Assembly-line techniques
• Standardized piano parts
• Upright design for easy home storage

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Threatened Popularity

• Other forms of entertainment hurt the piano
• Radio
• Phonograph
• Movies
• The 1930s Depression
• Player pianos invented

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1940s

• Two most popular models of piano
• Spinet
• Baby Grand

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Electronic Pianos/Synthesizers

• Electric instruments of the 20th century
• Can produce various sounds and effects
• Can use MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital
  Interface)
• Record and playback
• Mobile

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Future of Pianos

• New types of keyboard instruments are coming out
  all of the time
• Most genres of music are using pianos
• Rock
• Jazz
• Rap
• Classical

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The End

• Piano Good

Stewart Schlazer 2005