Evolution of Piano

By napowsner
  • 3000 BCE

    Repetend

    Repetend
  • 2650 BCE

    Chinese "Ke"

    The Chinese had made an instrument called the “ke” which had strings strung over a movable bridge on a wooden box that could be plucked to produce various tones
  • 582 BCE

    Invention of the Monochord

    Pythagóras began experimenting with musical sounds and mathematics, inventing the Monochord
  • 100

    Improvement of the Monochord

    A movable bridge was added to the Monochord allowing for more intonation.
  • 1000

    Evolution of the Monochord

    Keys were applied to the monochord and contemporary organs and began to prick strings on a scale division to make sure the instrument had proper tone.
  • 1301

    The Clavicytherium

    The clavicytherium was invented, which was an instrument with strings in a triangle like a harp.
  • 1401

    Invention of the Clavichord

    Improvements made to the clavicytherium led to the invention of the clavichord once additional strings were added and pins were included to the keys allowed for pressure to vibrate the strings
  • 1503

    Adapting the Clavichord

    Adaptations of the clavichord led to the introduction of the spinet by Giovanni Spinnetti. It was a longer-stringed clavichord with tangents that pricked the strings using a quill fastened to a jack. Unlike the clavichord, the spinet had no expression or way to manipulate the pressure or strength of the tone.
  • 1521

    Harpshichord

    The harpsichord was introduced as an offshoot of the spinet.

  • Pianoforte

    The hammer was added to the harpsichord which was designed to create the pianoforte.

  • The First Pianoforte

    Cristofori introduced the first hammer-action pianoforte, and is credited by many as the “inventor” of the piano, which is why he is called the creator of the piano.

  • Square Piano

    The square piano was introduced by Johannes Zumpe in London, England

  • The First Grand Piano

    Stodard introduced the first “Grand Pianoforte”

  • Improving the Grand Piano

    The Stein and Stein-Streicher piano hammer changes improved the tone of grand pianos and were preferred by many composers.

  • Evolution of the Square Piano

    The position of the hammer action changed to improve the sound of the square pianos which were popular for the next 100 years with minimal changes

  • Upright Pianos

    Many European manufacturers introduced upright pianos. Wornum’s upright became popular for its improved sound quality from others.

  • Construction of the Grand Style of Piano

    Sebastian Erard’s contributions to grand piano engineering revolutionized the construction of the grand style of piano.

  • Better Sound Quality

    Steinway & Sons introduced the first square piano with a new scale that changed the sound quality.

  • Extinction of the Square Piano

    The square piano was officially “extinct” in both Europe and America. Uprights were the go-to space-saving pianos for the industrialization of urban cities.