Piano Music
Just a mention of the word piano can conjure a mixture of sounds and images in people’s minds. Images of the pianos black and white keys along with various strains of famous classical piano compositions float through our memory whenever pianos are the subject of conversation. Some would contend that all music in the world today owes its existence to those 88 keys on the piano keyboard. Without the ability to compose music using pianos,? the entire history of music might have turned out differently. Classical music might not sound so classical if the foundation of musical sounds had been wind or percussion instruments. Pianos are stringed instruments though, and it has been the sound of strings throughout human history that have shaped music as we know it today. It was the beautiful sound and tonal system of pianos that put the music into musical geniuses like Beethoven and Mozart. As a result, pianos are some of the most popular musical instruments ever created.
History of the Piano
The first pianos came from two early string instruments, the harpsichord and the clavichord. The harpsichord lacked any volume control of notes and the clavichord permitted control of note duration only. Both instruments lacked any range of expression and emotion until Italian designer Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the now familiar leather-padded “hammers” to strike strings in 1702. The result was an early piano instrument known as the pianoforte and in time the name was shortened to just piano. The “new” pianos allowed far more expressive control of the strings and a much more colorful palette of notes for musicians to choose from.
Piano Design
The original design of the piano was that of a sideways harp placed inside a box. Instead of hand plucking the harp strings, piano strings are “struck” with padded hammers. The strings are also much like those of a harp, with stretched wires of different lengths and thickness, each making a different sound. Control of the volume, duration and decay of the piano notes are what has made pianos so versatile and expressive. Today, piano strings are made of steel, but the development of the instrument has seen strings made of brass, gold, silver, copper and horsehair along the way.
Conclusion
American piano history came into play in the 1800’s when Heinrich Steinweg of Steinway and Sons piano manufacturing fame began component-oriented assembly processes for pianos with standardized parts, significantly reducing the cost of pianos for everyone. By the end of the 19th century, pianos were considered a must-have for every household in the United States. Pre-assembled components allowed pianos to be easily assembled, and mail-order catalogs of the time offered low-interest installment plans, making pianos affordable for every family.
