Fortepiano

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Vienna on January 27, 1756. He was born to a mother, father, and sister. There were more children, but no one lived past childhood. Wolfgang was a determined and musically smart little boy. He knew what he was doing behind a set of piano keys. He was a prodigy to say the least. He accomplished more in a lifetime then most could in two lifetimes. Over the course of his thirty-five years on earth he composed around 600 compositions. Mozart’s family was supported of his talents. Some a little more than others. Leopold Mozart, his father, especially. His father was very determined to have Wolfgang be famous and make lots of money. He almost was forcefully making Wolfgang work long hours and days. They would go on long trips so people could hear how wonderfully and beautifully Mozart played the piano. They would catch all kinds of colds and sicknesses on the road. Even so, Leopold’s obsession with money was too grand to stop them from going to towns for people to hear his beloved son play the piano. His mother would stay home and watch the house. She did go with Wolfgang on one trip because his father could not go and did not want small Mozart to go alone on the long journey. His mother eventually became ill and refused to seek treatment so she passed away while Mozart and her were on the road. His father demanded he come home at once. Mozart’s sister was supposed to be the star of the family. When she was younger, she showed great…

The performance was by Schuann Chai in 2012, so by this time, fortepiano performances were pretty rare (I have never played on a historic pianoforte before). The modern pianoforte and the fortepiano have many considerable differences, such as the fortepiano having lower string tensions, no iron framing, and the use of soft leather instead of the modern felt that is used to cover the hammers. The fortepiano also had 61-78 keys, which is less than the modern piano’s 88 keys, but this didn’t…

wood), is raised as the consequence and plucks the string.  Its ability to sustain notes is very poor and its maximum dynamic is softer than the piano’s. Also, it has a smaller range than the piano’s.  During the late 18th century, it gradually fell out of fashion due to the invention of the piano. Fortepiano  The fortepiano was invented in 1698, by an Italian harpsichord-maker named Bartolomeo Christofori, who had been employed by the Medici family of Florence, Italy.  The main…

With the development of the society, the modern piano is very difficult to play the bright and crisp sounds like the harpsichord and fortepiano. Haydn liked to use much more staccato like the beginning in his first movement in sonata Hob.50. So, for Haydn it is necessary to express the crystal sound by using the strength of your fingers and your fingertips need to feel sharp and uniform, and quick notes should be shiny. In contrast, Mozart focus on the dexterity and gorgeousness, therefore, the…

Furthermore, he has lived in Salzburg and Vienna and these places influence his music. Additionally, the most dominating types of music and composers from that time are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. All of these composers were pianosits. Wolfgang was a fortepiano player, Joseph Haydn developed the piano trio and Johann Nepomuk Hummel was virtuoso pianist. Moreover, there were many political problems going in Austria during this time zone such as the French…

Embarking on next step of his career, Mozart left for Vienna. In pursuit of earning a living, he gained inspiration and continued to broaden his musical intelligence. “Though he remained equally expert on the harpsichord and organ (even acquiring a post as an organist in Vienna in the last years of his life), once ensconced in Vienna the fortepiano became Mozart's preferred métier (Irving 468)”. His sound remained fluid as he gathered inspiration from Baroque music and other artists he…

We were allowed to touch some of the different instruments that were remade for the purpose of display. However, since the two piano that originated from Vienna, and London were built in the 1800s and are similar to the ones Beethoven had, we were not allowed to them. The other three instruments that we were allowed to try out included the clavichord, harpsichord, and fortepiano. I tinkered around with the clavichord and harpsichord to see how they keys differ from the pianos that I am familiar…

strong opening solo and the violins and violas joined with a fast tempo and a gradual crescendo. This movement had a lot of pizzicato sections and more oboe solos. I remember my orchestra director always emphasizing the importance of staying in tune during pizzicatos and I realized what he meant when I heard some sections that were out of tune. It is easy to overlook the plucking because it is not very loud. However, it makes a big difference! The final movement, Finale was very long and had…

control his emotions and stay reasonable. The aria ends not in an explosion like Osmin’s aria, but instead in a quiet resolution. This idea of controlled passion and fervor encompassed the archetype of the ideal man. Western Europeans during the Enlightenment believed that one should restrain oneself and listen to reason. The instrumental depicts Belmonte doing just that. Although it has no characters, a depiction of Turks can also be seen in Mozart’s Violin Concert No. 5. Many of the janissary…

Cristofori was an expert harpsichord maker, and was well acquainted with the body of knowledge on stringed keyboard instruments. He used his knowledge of harpsichord keyboard mechanisms and actions to help him to develop the first pianos. It is not known exactly when Cristofori first built a piano. An inventory made by his employers, the Medici family, indicates the existence of a piano by the year 1700; another document of doubtful authenticity indicates a date of 1698. The three Cristofori…