The Story Before the Piano

The Story Before the Piano

PIANO HISTORY

Most probably, you are one of the many piano students who seek to know everything about the instrument you spent so much time with, playing pieces, practicing your scales, improvising or even composing new music.

The story of the Piano takes many centuries, even we can say dates from almost one thousand years. Almost everyone knows that the predecessor of the modern Piano is the harpsichord. This fact is known by all music and piano teachers alike.

Still, not everyone knows about the true origins of the Piano.

By understanding it, we will be able to appreciate even more the complexity and evolution necessary to bring this beautiful instrument to reality.

It began with the hammered Dulcimer in Medieval times. This instrument, surprisingly, is still performed today! 

The Spinnet follows the line of the Dulcimer. This instrument was not very loud but had similar mechanics to the Piano, but was mainly used to compose music, not to perform it.

Lastly, we have the most famous of the predecessors: the harpsichord. This instrument earned fame and glory during the 1600s and was still used for many years during the 1700s after the Piano came to be.

It is said that there was one harpsichord in every Manor house or every Aristocrat household, and it was widespread to have musical gatherings around it.

When the Piano became famous, it slowly but surely won its position, and the harpsichord was left to be a historical instrument but stopped to be the instrument to have at people’s homes.

Today the Piano is a symbol of music; it is used to perform music from Classical to Pop, Rock, Blues, even Bebop!

It is one of the most versatile instruments that ever existed. For composers, it is convenient as it has 88 keys, which represent all the available sounds of an orchestra!