Piano History: How Did the Piano Originate?
The piano is a musical instrument that a person plays by pressing the keys on a keyboard. The keys are linked to felt covered hammers that are caused to strike metal strings when the key is depressed. A mechanism ensures that upon striking the strings the hammers are immediately released, which allows the strings to continue to vibrate at their resonant frequency.
After the pianist presses the key, a part inside the piano stops the sound from reverberating. While the key sounds, it transmits to the soundboard which amplifies the sound of the keys. The piano player is able to play different pitches depending on the keys played with differing degrees of loudness or softness and the duration of the notes held can be controlled by the damper pedal.
Over the centuries, the use of the piano included solo pieces or performance with voice or other chamber instruments and orchestra. It is one of the most used instruments for people who want to compose songs or music. The piano is a rather imposing instrument, but it is one of the most ever present instruments everywhere.
The word piano is an abbreviation of the Italian word pianoforte, a rather formal and archaic word which means ‘soft and loud’. It expresses the gradation of tone that the instrument produces. By association, the word piano has been taken over to denote the instrument whose original Italian name, clavicembalo, refers to the instrument’s fidelity and responsiveness to any touch on the keyboard.
The concept for the piano as a musical instrument originated from the ancient harp, which were used in ancient Greece and Rome. Over the centuries, the idea arose to have a stringed instrument that the strings would be plucked mechanically as a person would press the a key. This in turn led to the development of the very early keyboards which were used by early Baroque area performers.
In 1698, Cristofori began the actual steps for designing the precursor of the piano which was the harpsichord capable of soft and loud, complete with drawings and models. But the precision and quality of the instrument as we know it today was still far way off yet. Over the next few centuries, there unfolded a grand old story of experimentation, designing, innovation and refinement.
The goal of the inventor of the harpsichord was to invent an instrument that had bright high notes and resonant low notes. The mechanisms inside the piano had to be designed to regulate the hammers, use steel strings, and improvement in the resonators and fret boards. The range of the instruments had other improvements such as double key escapement that allows notes to be repeated when the hammer has not completed the resting position.
The real development of the piano occurred around the 19th century with the invention of felt hammers which helped the strings resonate better, better steel wires, and more superior frames for the sounding board. The piano was built into the upright styles in the 19th century which was a smaller version of the much larger grand piano. This change made the piano much more affordable for more families and more people had the opportunity to learn the instrument.
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