Anyone with access to a touch screen phone or tablet has immediate access to a free piano in today’s time. To a student in the digital age, the art of the piano reflects a technology far advanced to that of the original pianoforte. The history of the piano is broad and complex; it shows not only a change in music and style but allows one to see into the technological changes of the world in the last four centuries. From the origins of a harpsichord came the pianoforte, the original piano, which has under gone many transformations under the influences of the Austrians, English, and Americans to bring us the piano we have today.
The history of the piano can be traced back through many instruments throughout the centuries. Its most ancient …show more content…
These versions of the piano often became famous for their specific sounds representing a region and the style of music preferred. One of these was the Viennese piano, from the region of southern Germany and Austria. Developed by Johann Andreas Stein, the Viennese piano is lighter, has double strung strings, and a hammer that is mounted on the far end of the key and centered on a metal spring clip. This design allows for the hammer to stroke the string when in contact giving the instrument a gentler sound. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who wrote a concert with the help of the inventor, Stein, preferred this light and delicate sound. Many famous composers in the region such as Beethoven, Hummel and Haydn played the Viennese piano, causing it to become widely popular in the region. By 1800, there were sixty piano makers in the city of Vienna alone. The birth of this instrument helped to create what we now know as classical music. Following the Viennese piano came the English piano, which differed in many ways. Having a sturdier build allowed for the strings to be triple strung and has the hammer mounted on a separate rail inside the body. Not only were the strings triple strung, they were also thicker and had slower dampers allowing for a powerful, full sound. This piano also gave birth to the double escapement, which allowed for a note to be played multiple times in a row and the una corda pedal to create a softer
The history of the piano can be traced back through many instruments throughout the centuries. Its most ancient …show more content…
These versions of the piano often became famous for their specific sounds representing a region and the style of music preferred. One of these was the Viennese piano, from the region of southern Germany and Austria. Developed by Johann Andreas Stein, the Viennese piano is lighter, has double strung strings, and a hammer that is mounted on the far end of the key and centered on a metal spring clip. This design allows for the hammer to stroke the string when in contact giving the instrument a gentler sound. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who wrote a concert with the help of the inventor, Stein, preferred this light and delicate sound. Many famous composers in the region such as Beethoven, Hummel and Haydn played the Viennese piano, causing it to become widely popular in the region. By 1800, there were sixty piano makers in the city of Vienna alone. The birth of this instrument helped to create what we now know as classical music. Following the Viennese piano came the English piano, which differed in many ways. Having a sturdier build allowed for the strings to be triple strung and has the hammer mounted on a separate rail inside the body. Not only were the strings triple strung, they were also thicker and had slower dampers allowing for a powerful, full sound. This piano also gave birth to the double escapement, which allowed for a note to be played multiple times in a row and the una corda pedal to create a softer