I was trying to nap yesterday, and of course when a mind is quiet thoughts sneak in. Our grandson is taking drum lessons, and he is also learning the xylophone in the school band. Percussion. My husband (Tom) recently told me piano is also a percussion instrument. I found myself wondering "Who invented the piano?" I gave up on my nap and went outside to sit next to Tom. I was sure he'd know.
He didn't know "who" but he launched into an interesting effusion of musical facts related to the piano, and modern western music, tuning, keys, chords and even Bach. I never learned an instrument, so I don't have a firm grasp of musical nomenclature. The terms don't resonate with me, but I think I understood the gist of it all. Maybe.
I still wanted to know who invented the piano, so I googled it. AI, currently still an obedient servant, told me this:
"The piano was invented around the year 1700 by Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori, who developed the pianoforte, an instrument capable of producing both soft and loud dynamics by using hammers to strike the strings instead of plucking them. The term "pianoforte" was eventually shortened to "piano" and is the basis for the modern instrument we know today."
Now I'm wondering what "Cristofori" means in Italian?
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Thank you for the info on the inventor of the piano. I took piano lessons when I was young and still own a piano that I think I could play if I sat down and practiced for a few days. My grandsons are taking piano lessons, although, their pianos are electronic so probably no hammers striking any strings. (I think?)
ReplyDeleteSo now I wonder if the electronic pianos are percussion, ha?
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