1. HISTORY OF PIANO
by
Jeannie Wong

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Dulcimer
• A closed, shallow box over stretched wires
that were struck with
two wooden hammers.

5. Clavichord
• The dulcimer led to the development of
clavichord.
• Appeared in the 14th century.
• Toccata per lelevazione, Messa degli Apostoli, by
Girolamo Frescobaldi.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. New technology in Pianos
• Player pianos – reproducing pianos.
It represents a modern update on the paper-roll
player 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.

10. New technology in Pianos
• Manufacterers offer visit libraries of pre-recorded
titles for their systems—music in every genre from
pop 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 startling
accuracy.

11. New technology in Pianos
• Thanks to these systems, many people who don’t
play the piano are enjoying live piano music ANY
time 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 composing
and many other applications.

12. 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.

13. Digital Pianos
• It is software-driven.
• Some keyboards feature lights over the keys to
help one play a favorite tune, or
learning 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.