HISTORY OF PIANO

by

Jeannie Wong

The beginning

• Created by Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori, in the year of 1709.

• Padua, Italy

• Many other stringed and keyboard instruments preceded the piano and led to the development of the instrument —piano.

Taut

• Vibrating string can produce sound.

• In the ancient world, strings were attached

and stretched over bows, gourds,

and boxes to amplify the sound.

• Fastened by ties, pegs and pins.

• Produces sound by plucking, bowing or striking.

Dulcimer

• A closed, shallow box over stretched wires

that were struck with

two wooden hammers.

Clavichord

• The dulcimer led to the development ofclavichord.

• Appeared in the 14th century.

• Toccata per lelevazione, Messa degli Apostoli, by Girolamo Frescobaldi.

Harpsichord

• Limited to one, unvarying volume –Its softness and loudness could not be varied while playing.

• Concerto in Italian Style for Harpsichord, in F major, BMV 971, composed by

Johann Sebastian Bach

The invention of Piano

• Able to project sound more loudly than its predecessors,refinements in action/touch inspired many more musicians to compose for the keyboard.

The invention of Piano

• First exhibited in Florence in 1709.

• Was named gravicembalo col piano e forte (soft and loud keyboard instrument).

• Cristofori’s earliest surviving instrument dates from 1720, and it is on display at Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

New technology in Pianos

• Player pianos – reproducing pianos.It represents a modern update on the paper-rollplayer pianos.

- NOT digital instruments, it is real, acoustic pianos with hammers and strings.

- They can also play themselves using electronic technology.

- Takes cues from floppy disks, specially formatted CDs or internal memory systems.

New technology in Pianos

• Manufacterers offer visit libraries of pre-recordedtitles for their systems—music in every genre frompop to classics—recorded by some of the world’s top pianists.

• These systems capture every nuance of the original performances and play them back with startlingaccuracy.

New technology in Pianos

• Thanks to these systems, many people who don’tplay the piano are enjoying live piano music ANYtime of the night or day.

• These systems can be used to record their own piano performances, interface with computers,aid in music education, assist with composingand many other applications.

Digital Pianos

• Produced by many of today’s top piano companies, for instance: Korg, Yamaha and etc.• Produces sophisticated, sampled piano sounds taken from their own top models.• Also offer other instrument voices, such as vibraphone, strings, pipe organ,jazz organ and so on.

Digital Pianos

• It is software-driven.• Some keyboards feature lights over the keys to help one play a favorite tune, orlearning programs that combine music with an on-screen display.• Help home musicians get more out of the internet as well—using a computer for arranging and orchestrating.

Digital Pianos

• Digital pianos also offer a variety of unique functions—such as providing a lot of different preset and combo sounds, ones that can give you layering effect to the playing.• Some may also include a karaoke/video output.

Traditional Piano

• Manufacturers are including innovations at a rapid pace.

• Some of the updates draw on mateiral science, to find special woods or newly available materials that make a piano more durable and tonally stable.

• Some of the engineers are also exploring to strengthen the piano and keep its sound deep and rich for years.

Concert Grand Pianos

• Used by numerous conductors, composers and songwriters.

• There are also baby grand pianos that are designed to meet the needs of the home owners and players of all levels.