Did you ever wonder who invented the piano? I mean, how come we’re not still playing a large portion of our music on the lute? Or the harp? Well, maybe it’s just me, but I think whoever invented the piano was a genius.
According to history, the piano was invented by a man named Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731), an Italian man of Padua, Italy. Bartolomeo created and designed harpsichords. In 1688, Ferdinando de Medici of Florence, the Grand Prince of Tuscany, hired Bartolomeo to care for the instruments of his court. It was during his time in this position that Bartolomeo invented the pianoforte, probably some time between 1700-1720.
The pianoforte was named such because of the contrast between soft and loud tones that were able to be produced by the musician based on how soft or hard he played each note. Later, the term simply became piano.
While the piano has certainly evolved much since the 1700s, it is because of Bartolomeo Cristofori’s initial invention that we are able to enjoy the beautiful pianos we have today.