Who Invented The Piano? Google Doodle Marks Creator Bartolomeo Cristofori’s 360th Birthday
After Google released a new Google Doodle on Sunday, May 3, people are asking themselves: Who invented the piano?
Bartolomeo Cristofori celebrated his 360th birthday yesterday, and Google created a Doodle to honor the man who is widely credited with inventing the piano.
Born in northern Italian city of Padua, Cristofori later moved to Florence in 1690 at the request of the famous Medici family, according to Time Magazine. This is where Bartolomeo would eventually craft his masterpiece.
At the time, the harpsichord was the dominant keyboard instrument. However, it had many flaws- the main being that it couldn’t play different degrees of softness. For a note to be played, a small device known as a plectrum plucked a string and the note was played, according to Vox.
While the piano mimicked the harpsichord, it revolutionized the way the music sounded. There are even early records of Cristofori calling the piano the Arpicembalo, which means “harp-harpsichord.” The main difference between the piano and the harpsichord was the hammer that replaced the plectrum. It perfected the volume and was able to manipulate sound without the plucking method.
Who invented the piano? Google doodle to the rescue http://t.co/QBG3GkL6gd pic.twitter.com/zvVMPVAPIG
— The Independent (@Independent) May 3, 2015
“Being able to change the volume was a major breakthrough. And that’s exactly what doodler Leon Hong wanted to highlight in this interactive doodle,” Google wrote in its blog.
Cristofori allegedly invented the piano in 1709, however it is believed that he had been working on it for some time before then. Four of his pianos existed by 1711. It was 17 years later when Bartolomeo created the version that encompassed all of the elements of the modern-day piano.
The oldest surviving piano dates back to 1721 and hints of the harpsichord can be heard in its sound. According to Met Museum, “the Metropolitan’s Cristofori, the oldest surviving piano, is in a plain wing-shaped case, outwardly resembling a harpsichord. It has a single keyboard and no special stops, in much the same style as Italian harpsichords of the day.”
@voxdotcom provides some insight on why the inventor of the piano is so under-recognized. http://t.co/WkKN2d3bKO
— Vincent Young (@K2Twelve) May 4, 2015
Cristofori originally referred to his invention as “un cimbalo di cipresso di piano e forte“(a keyboard of cypress with soft and loud). Over time, it was shortened to “piano forte,” and then eventually just “piano.”
[Photo via Google screenshot]
