In Europe during
the Baroque Period, musicians and artists were supported by the
church, the state, and the rich. Such a patronage system was the
case in Italy for hundreds of years, Including the late 1400s
and early 1500s when Michelangelo worked as a sculptor and artist
for the Medlci family in Florence. From 1690 until his death Bartolomeo
Cristofori (1655-1731) went to work at the court of Prince Ferdinand
de' Medici in Florence as a designer and custodian of keyboard
Instruments. He Is noted for various innovations in harpsichord
construction and especially for the invention of the piano.
Francesco
Mannucci noted in his diary (February 1711) that in 1698 Cristofori
began work on the "arcicembal che fa il piano e il forte"
(harpsichord with soft and loud) The inventory of Medici instruments
for 1700 establishes that at least one had been completed by that
date. An article by Scipione Maffei In 1711 stated that In 1709
Cristofori had built three "gravicembalo col piano e forte"
The unique characteristic of his invention was a mechanical action
that made it possible to sound simultaneously as many notes as
one had fingers and therefore, to be able to produce any work
in the entire literature of Western music with variations of loud
and soft according to the player's touch at the keyboard. Cristofori's
"piano e forte was a combination of harpsichord shape and
power with almost clavichord expressiveness. It Included a complex
mechanical action with a hammer that rose towards a string (heavier
than a harpsichord string) four times as fast as the key movement
(eight times as fast in his later instruments). It also included
an escapement to allow the hammer to rebound from the freely vibrating
string, a check for the hammer to prevent bouncing, and a shift
so the hammer would play only one of the two strings to reduce
volume.
Cristofori's "piano
e forte" did not generate much enthusiasm In Italy. Harpsichord
players found the touch difficult to master and the tone similar,
but less brilliant and softer, than the best harpsichords of the
day. In the late 1730's Gottfrled Silberman read a German language
account of Maffei's article and started experimenting on the new
design. Bach tried one of his pianos but did not like the heavy
touch and weak treble. Eventually Silberman obtained a more accurate
description of Cristofori's action. It is reported that Bach was
well pleased with Silberman's latest piano design, which had an
action identical to the 1720's Cristofori pianos that survive
to this day.
Cristofori
and Silberman strived to build a harpsichord with expressive capabilities.
The latter half of the 18th Century was dominated by Germans and
Austrians concerned with building a louder clavichord. Unfortunately,
Cristofori' s design for the action was so complex that subsequent
builders greatly simplified It for economy resulting In a less
efficient system which was not widely accepted. Later in the 18th
Century, developments in action design were really a re-invention
of the principles worked out by Cristofori , the inventor of the
piano, a stringed keyboard instrument with mechanically operated
rebounding hammers.
In Europe during
the Baroque Period, musicians and artists were supported by the
church, the state, and the rich. Such a patronage system was the
case in Italy for hundreds of years, Including the late 1400s
and early 1500s when Michelangelo worked as a sculptor and artist
for the Medlci family in Florence. From 1690 until his death Bartolomeo
Cristofori (1655-1731) went to work at the court of Prince Ferdinand
de' Medici in Florence as a designer and custodian of keyboard
Instruments. He Is noted for various innovations in harpsichord
construction and especially for the invention of the piano.
Francesco
Mannucci noted in his diary (February 1711) that in 1698 Cristofori
began work on the "arcicembal che fa il piano e il forte"
(harpsichord with soft and loud) The inventory of Medici instruments
for 1700 establishes that at least one had been completed by that
date. An article by Scipione Maffei In 1711 stated that In 1709
Cristofori had built three "gravicembalo col piano e forte"
The unique characteristic of his invention was a mechanical action
that made it possible to sound simultaneously as many notes as
one had fingers and therefore, to be able to produce any work
in the entire literature of Western music with variations of loud
and soft according to the player's touch at the keyboard. Cristofori's
"piano e forte was a combination of harpsichord shape and
power with almost clavichord expressiveness. It Included a complex
mechanical action with a hammer that rose towards a string (heavier
than a harpsichord string) four times as fast as the key movement
(eight times as fast in his later instruments). It also included
an escapement to allow the hammer to rebound from the freely vibrating
string, a check for the hammer to prevent bouncing, and a shift
so the hammer would play only one of the two strings to reduce
volume.
Cristofori's "piano
e forte" did not generate much enthusiasm In Italy. Harpsichord
players found the touch difficult to master and the tone similar,
but less brilliant and softer, than the best harpsichords of the
day. In the late 1730's Gottfrled Silberman read a German language
account of Maffei's article and started experimenting on the new
design. Bach tried one of his pianos but did not like the heavy
touch and weak treble. Eventually Silberman obtained a more accurate
description of Cristofori's action. It is reported that Bach was
well pleased with Silberman's latest piano design, which had an
action identical to the 1720's Cristofori pianos that survive
to this day.
Cristofori
and Silberman strived to build a harpsichord with expressive capabilities.
The latter half of the 18th Century was dominated by Germans and
Austrians concerned with building a louder clavichord. Unfortunately,
Cristofori' s design for the action was so complex that subsequent
builders greatly simplified It for economy resulting In a less
efficient system which was not widely accepted. Later in the 18th
Century, developments in action design were really a re-invention
of the principles worked out by Cristofori , the inventor of the
piano, a stringed keyboard instrument with mechanically operated
rebounding hammers.