When Was The Piano Invented?

When was the piano invented?

The piano initially was created in Padua, Italy in 1709, in the shop of a harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo di Francesco Cristofori. There were many other string and keyboard instruments that preceded the piano which led to the development of the instrument as we know it today.

The world’s oldest piano from 1720 is located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

In 14^th century Europe, a slew of stringed instruments involving keyboards were produced in Europe. The oldest of these was a dulcimer, which is a closed shallow box with wires that were stretched over it. These wires were struck with wooden hammers to create sound. This invention led to the development of the clavichord which was also brought to light in the 14^th century. There were many other instruments invented which include the spinet, virginal, clavecin, gravicembalo, and finally, the harpsichord later in the 15^th century.

The issue many musicians had with the harpsichord was there was no variation in volume. This didn’t allow performing artists the opportunity to convey the emotion behind their pieces in terms of volume. Often the way musicians got around this was playing faster or slower but it never truly solved the problem at hand. This desire for a more intentional expression resulted in the creation of the piano.

The involvement of the harpsichord and the desire for a loudness and softness of a keyboard string instrument led to the development of the piano we all know and love today.

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