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 Cristofori's
gravicembalo col piano e forte was designed after the
pattern and usage of the harpsichord to meet the demands of
the ever more technical keyboard compositions (for more
information about the pre-history of the piano, visit our ).
The piano
forte did not attract much attention in the early
1700's. Builders simplified the action for ease of
manufacture, eliminating the escapement and the check, the
two features most essential to good control over dynamics
and articulation. The piano forte
was grouped with other keyboard novelties of the day and few
were made.
Many developments by numerous
independent builders and design engineers since 1700
resulted in a wide variety of cabinet styles, tones, and
touch characteristics. Many combinations were rejected
through the years, so that the "modern piano" is the result
of a natural selection of the most popular features to date
and will continue to evolve as needs and tastes change.
In the 1760s and 1770s, more
significant advancements began to appear. For example,
Johann Andreas Stein of Vienna included an escapement on his
piano that pleased Mozart in 1777. Johann Christian Bach was
the first to perform in public on the
piano forte in England. His promotion of the small,
"square" pianos of Johannes Zumpe made them fashionable. By
the late 1770's, hundreds of the Zumpe-style pianos were
being made each year by various s builders in England. It
was a small,  rectangular
Instrument with a simple action without escapement or check.
The sound was louder and brighter than a clavichord and more
capable of musical expressiveness than a spinet (small
harpsichords popular at that time).
By the late 1700's, John Broadwood
and Company had made many improvements by taking a
scientific approach to design. Broadwood's "grand" piano
action had escapement and check. His scale was engineered by
a scientist for proper string length, composition, and
striking point of the hammer. The large, harpsichord-shaped
case was sturdy, and concern was given to the balance of
string tension. At that time, some manufacturers began to
build various types of upright pianos. A number of devices
for sustaining or altering the tone were added. Several
dozen manufacturers In London were producing less than 40
pianos per year each by 1800. In contrast, Broadwood, with a
factory employing 300 technicians, was then making 400
pianos per year.
 Between
1791 and 1815, 135 keyboard instrument builders are listed
in Vienna and many changes were being made in the piano. Key
color changed to white with black sharps, having previously
been the reverse. Cases became heavier as longer, thicker,
higher-tension strings were used with large hammers. By 1820
the typical Viennese grand piano was nearly 2.5 meters long,
with a range of 6 or 6 1/2 octaves, and had two to six
pedals each activating some device to alter the tone of the
instrument.
Around 1800, iron bracing began to
be used to strengthen the frame which allowed the use of
heavier hammers. Many types of hammer coverings were tried
to replace the harsh toned leather covered style of early
days. By the middle of the 19th Century, felt over wood
became the norm for hammers. Improved actions were more
complex for grands and included a sticker or stick reaching
up from the end of the key to operate the upright pianos,
which at that time were more like awkward, upended grands.
In the early 1800s a smaller
upright "cottage piano' and a larger square piano were
developed for the popular market. Large numbers of there
were sold In England and France to those who could not
afford a satisfactory musical instrument but were enthused
by the piano's charm and appeal.
America began receiving pianos in the 1770's.
The first piano built in the United
States was made in 1775 by Johann Behrent in Philadelphia.
The first American piano patent was applied for In 1796. The
first U.S. born piano manufacturer was Jonas Chickering. He
started his firm in 1823 and became successful and
innovative In piano design. His full cast iron plate for the
grand made possible more advances In string tension and a
resultant big piano sound. Heinrich Steinweg immigrated to
New York from Germany in 1853, changing his family name to
Steinway. The Steinway and Sons piano company that he
developed made significant improvements in reliability and
resilience.
 In
the 1860s, Steinway applied the new piano technology to the
uprights, opening a new era of piano manufacture. Specialty
houses began to supply standardized parts to manufacturers.
Expensive, technical procedures were replaced by efficient
assembly line techniques. Quality pianos could then be built
by every size of manufacturing firm. Traditional European
builders resisted these changes and American manufacturers,
following the Steinway manufacturing model, took the lead in
world trade. Square grands consisted of 90% of the U.S.
market in the 1860's, but were almost entirely replaced by
grands and especially the uprights by the 1890's.
The 18th and 19th Centuries were an
age of innovation, trial, and error in piano design. Every
style and combination imaginable was attempted, including
building into the piano a harpsichord, an organ, or
harmonium, disguising the piano as some other type of
furniture, or installing innumerable devises to alter the
tone. One Interesting experimental category is the "Sostente
Pianos", referring to the attempt to make a sustained sound
like the organ or the violin. Methods attempted include:
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Endless bows. A bow that
revolves continually is pressed against the string on
demand. A few of the many examples include:
Clavecin-Vielle, Paris, 1708; Lyrichord, Plenius, 1741;
Bogenhammerklavier, Grenier, 1779; Claviola, U.S.A.,
1802; and many others through 1892.
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Compressed Air. After the
hammer Is struck, the string continues to vibrate by a
jet of compressed air: Anemocorde, Paris, 1789, others
through 1871.
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Transmitted Vibrations. An
elastic body like music wire will vibrate if a rod
connected to it is rubbed: Harmonichord, Dresden, 1809
(a rotating drum touching the strings); Coelison,
Bohemia, 1821 (keys attached directly to the strings);
and others.
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Quick and Repeated Movement of
the Hammers. Included optional attachments that used a
mechanical device to have the hammers, or smaller
auxiliary hammers or strips of cloth or leather make
repeated strokes against the string: Piano tremolopone ,
Paris, 1844; Melopiano, 1873 Armonipiano, France; and
others.
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The Combination of Hammer
Striking the String and Free Vibrating Reeds. Piano a
prolongement; Piano Scande, Paris, 1853; Piano a sons
soutenus, and others.
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Electronic Principle.
Electrochord, Bohemia, Forster Co., 1932; Electronic
Piano, Phillips Co, 1958 (no strings, no hammers, no
sound board). Electronic instruments with piano like
touch and tone have become very popular In the 1980's.
 In
the 1890's, the "reproducing pianos" (commonly called player
pianos today) started to gain popularity. The earliest type
of player was a device that was pushed in front of the
piano. While the operator pumped the foot treadles, the
player mechanism played on the keys with wooden "fingers."
In the early 1900's manufacturers began installing player
mechanisms inside the large upright and grand pianos. By
1904, mechanisms and rolls were developed that more
effectively reproduced the special nuances of the performer.
One such, the Welte-Mignon (Germany) was available in 115
brands of pianos. Many famous artists made piano roll
recordings, most of which are still available today. The
popularity of reproducing pianos reached its peak In the
early 1920's. After The Depression, sales never recovered
due to alternatives to reproduced music that were less
cumbersome and expensive, such as the gramophone and the
radio. Player pianos are still manufactured today In many
styles, both old fashioned and modern, large and small Some
play the old style paper rolls, others use electronic media
such as tape or disk.
In an effort to recover from the
devastation of the Great Depression, manufacturers who
remained created new styles to stimulate interest. Like the
markets of the 18th Century, the mid-20th Century emphasis
had to be on economy rather than quality, and appearance
rather than performance. Thus, the great number In the
1930's and 1940's of varying styles of small pianos such as
the "baby grand" (small horizontal piano).
Most pianos built after 1900, and
many of the pianos of the 1890's and 1880's, reflect modern
technology, style, and performance. They are similar to the
modern piano of today in most respects. Reblitz (1974, p.l)
divides pianos into three chronological periods: 1700-1830
"antique", 1850-1900 "Victorian", and 1900 to now "modern".
These demarcations generally are characterized by the style
of cabinetry as well as the maturity of the action design
and quality of the tone production of each period. That the
piano has been popular can be exemplified by the fact that
over 5000 different brands have been produced (Reblitz,
1965).
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Grand
pianos come in many different makes, types, and sizes (