Image by xcode via Flickr history, time, energy, and craftsmanship which have gone into producing the musical instrument you are about to bring to life.Your instrument is actually a direct descendant of the earliest genuine pianos created in Italy approximately 1700. The “invention” of today’s piano is acknowledged to a Bartolomeo Cristofori who, more than likely, had been attempting to bring the best characteristics of the clavichord and the harpsichord together in one musical instrument. In this particular struggle he prevailed admirably and the piano as we all know it presently was born. As an exciting side note, there are three Cristofori pianos that survive right now, that were crafted in the 1720s.
Over the next 200 years pianos were manufactured by small businesses of very skilled tradesmen who brought many enhancements to Cirstofori’s original design. As materials and production techniques got better, so did the caliber of the piano. These kinds of advances permitted much more accurate actions, greater number of octaves, and more substantial, more robust cast metal plates that permitted the effective use of thicker strings under increased tension.
While advancements were made in the manufacturing method, so too were advances increasingly being produced in the variety of woods and also other natural substances that are critical in producing the instrument’s “voice”. Hardwoods such as Beech, Spruce, and Maple were discovered to be superior to others in both sturdiness and heaviness and are most often used in crafting the piano’s outer rim. The leather first utilized to cover the hammers was replaced with felt being a far more consistent fabric which offered increased dynamic range as the string tension and weight in the hammers increased.
Today, when you take a seat to relax and play, your instrument is the end result of greater than 300 years of progress and innovation. Thus, as soon as your fingertips caress those 88 keys spare just a moment of thought for Cristofori as well as all those who followed after him.
piano lamp.org
