The Evolution of the Piano: The Pianoforte

Cristofori Bartolomeo (1655-1732)

The sound limitations of the harpsichord drove the renowned Italian harpsichord maker Bartolomeo Cristofori to invent the first pianoforte in the early 1700s.

In Italian, piano means “soft” and forte means “loud”, the same words we use to describe dynamics in music. This unique instrument gave musicians the ability to create dynamics simply through changes in finger pressure, something earlier instruments, like the harpsichord and clavichord, were unable to do.

At the time of its creation, the pianoforte was very expensive and therefore used mostly by Italian royalty. Women who played piano were considered to be more desirable candidates for marriage due to its status symbol. In fact, female pianists inspired many pieces by composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn.

Due to the sound quality improvements of the instrument, the pianoforte became suitable for orchestral, concert ensemble, and solo play, and grew in popularity.

Various other forms of the pianoforte were created in Germany during the late 1700s, and ultimately, it ended up being German manufacturers who perfected Cristofori’s invention.

Cristofori made about twenty pianofortes between 1709-1726. A few of his instruments still exist and can be found in museum collections around the world.