Music picture

History of Piano

By avac3

  • Invented

    Invented
    In 1655, the piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori.

  • Soft and Loud

    Soft and Loud
    Bartolomeo Cristofori invents forte and piano, which means soft and loud.

  • Upright Piano

    Upright Piano
    Domenico del Mela built the earliest known upright piano in 1739.

  • Recitals

    Recitals
    Theatrical pianist and composer Franz Liszt brought virtuosity and flair to piano playing and created the piano recital.

  • Player Piano

    Player Piano
    Frenchman Henri Fourneaux invents the player piano, which “plays itself” using a piano roll and mechanics.
  • Period: to

    Modern Pianos

    The modern upright piano and grand pianos that are used today first appeared.

  • Digital Pianos

    Digital Pianos
    Digital pianos became available. They used digital sampling to produce the sound of every piano note. Later innovations include keyboards “weighted” to feel like a grand piano’s and onboard recording technology.

  • Today's Pianos

    Today's Pianos
    With MIDI technology, internet capability, onboard learning tools, computer screens and more, pianos enter the 21st century with hi-tech features that make them as popular as ever. In 2005, 144,000 digital pianos are sold in the US.