“Telling a painter to paint nature as it is, is like telling a virtuoso that he can sit at the piano” Stéphane Mallarmé.
If you think of a musical instrument, the piano is more than likely your first choice. King of instruments, the piano has a structure, sound, and presence that have made it the essence of classical music and almost any musical style.
He is also the protagonist of other musical genres, from jazz to rock. We have even seen him as the common thread of many cinematographic successes such as The Piano or, more recently, in La la land. Also, its prominence in any soundtrack worth its salt.
From Kaunus, today, we want to share 10 curiosities that we have found interesting about this extraordinary instrument.
10 Interesting Facts About The Piano
- The origin of the piano dates back to the 18th century. In 1707 Bartolomeo Cristofori, who worked for the Medicis, presented to the world what he called Piano et forte, an instrument that, unlike harpsichords and clavichords, could be played piano (soft) and forte (strong). Of all the pianos he made, today there are only 3.
- The term piano is based on its original Italian name, Pianoforte, which means soft.
- The piano is the only instrument whose tonal range encompasses all the instruments in a classical orchestra.
- Pianos have been representative instruments of musical romanticism, mainly during the 18th and 19th centuries.
- It can be said that the most influential composers of works for piano are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frédéric Chopin.
- The most prestigious piano brands worldwide include manufacturers such as, Bösendorfer, Fazioli, Steinway & Sons, Pleyel, Steingraeber and Söhne, C. Bechstein, Blüthner, Feurich, Schimmel, Petrof, Shigeru Kawai, Sauter, Yamaha.
- Modern pianos have 88 keys (36 black and 52 white), but most pianos built between the late 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century had 85 notes. Originally, the white keys were ivory, and the black ones, ebony.
- One of the piano predecessors as a musical instrument is the zither, native to Africa and Asia.
- The first piano concerto was performed by Henry Walsh in Dublin, Ireland, in 1762.
- The Steinway D-274 is generally described as the first choice of concert pianists.
Did you find these 10 curiosities about the piano interesting? Without a doubt, it is a beautiful instrument with a great history from its origins to the present day. Its musicality makes it unique, and therefore it is one of the most admired musical instruments.