Evolution of the Piano: From Dulcimer to Electronic Keyboard

Categories: Player Piano: Servicing and Rebuilding

Essay, Pages 6 (1369 words)

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One of the more popular musical instruments is the piano. In Youtube alone, a popular video sharing website, type ‘piano’ in the search box and result will show 574,000 uploaded videos. From the modern grand piano that people are grown accustomed to, it is interesting to find that piano began its journey from three things: hammer, string and soundboard. Dulcimer, an instrument originating in Iran after the birth of Christ, is said to be the inspiration for the creation of the piano (Concert Piano Pitch Services 2008).

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The dulcimer shares the same principles as the piano, with hammers striking/ beating strings placed in a flat soundboard (2008). However, in place of mechanical hammers, players used sticks (2008). Crusaders brought it to Europe during the Middle Ages (Marcie Wallis 2008). The term ‘dulcimer’ comes from the Latin ‘dulce melos’ which means “sweet sound” (Marcie Wallis 2008). An image of dulcimer is seen below. Image 1. Dulcimer (Marcie Wallis 2008) By the tenth century, pipe organs were the rage in churches (Goode 43).

To play, a key is depressed, sending air into the pipe, thus producing a sound (Wright 47). The pipes are arranged in groups, with each group specializing in one tone (48). The pipes have a switch, called stops (48). When all stops are pulled, a forceful sound is produced. An image of a pipe organ is seen below. Image 2. Pipe Organ (Quimby Pipe Organs. com 2008) During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, another keyboard instrument became popular- the virginal (Goode 43). The virginal is a box with strings (43). A quill was used to pluck the strings.

The term ‘virginal’ is said to be a compliment to the Queen. Young ladies used to play the virginal. The virginal was placed on a table as seen in the image below or held in the lap. Image 3. The Virginal (BBC 2008). In 1400, the world was introduced to the clavichord (Concert Piano Pitch Services 2008). It is one of the oldest keyboard instruments. It works according to a simple principle: The player depresses a key which in turns strikes a string with a metal blade called tangents, thereby producing sound (Marszalek and Panagakis 2006).

It is a rectangular box with keyboards on the side and strings stretched across (Kelly 1998). Once a key is depressed, the player can also change the pitch to create a vibrato (1998). A clavichord player can make it “fretted”, striking strings in a succession manner of “unfretted” to produce one note (Piano Keyboard 2003). Widely used in Europe, clavichords were popular during the Renaissance period (1998). The Renaissance (1450-1600) was a period of rebirth, curiosity and individualism (Kamien 75). In this time, the focus was on human life (75).

Thus, vocal music was given importance, with instrumental music taking a backseat (78). Given its small design, the clavichord was usually played in small audience (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008). Despite its limitations, the clavichord was a popular instrument especially in German households (2008). The oldest surviving clavichord is from the year 1543 (Piano Keyboard 2008). An image of the clavichord is seen below. Image 4. Clavichord (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008) Instrumental music saw its rise during the Baroque period (Wright 103).

In this time, one instrument stood out- the harpsichord. The harpsichord originated in Northern Italy in 1400 but reached its peak during the Baroque period (Wright 48). It is the largest keyboard instrument. Some harpsichords had two keyboards (Marszalek and Panagakis 2004). Like the clavichord, the harpsichord is played by depressing a key, which in turn “forces a pick to pluck a string” (48). The plucking produces a sound (103). However, its level mechanism limits the harpsichord in controlling the forte (48). When a key is depressed, the sound and volume is still the same.

Hence, harpsichords that were usually used had two keyboards to make sound gradations (48). This shortcoming exemplified the way Baroque music sounded: straightforward, uniformity continuity, no abrupt changes (103). It was during the Baroque period that Johann Sebastian Bach rose as the greatest composer, and harpsichordist of his time (Kamien 125). His Bradenburg Concerto no. 5, written around 1721, gained importance for being the first piece wherein a harpsichord had a solo role (104). Usually, in a concerto grosso (the term used for small group of soloists), the instruments used were string instruments.

In the Bradenburg Concerto, the harpsichord is played in the final section. An image of the harpsichord is seen below. Image 5. Harpsichord (Get Piano Lesons. com 2008) Henry Purcell, another famous musician from the Baroque period, was chosen to be the organist of the Chapel Royal in London (UK Piano Pages 2008). By this time, the spinet had become popular. The spinet also came from the harpsichord family (Piano Keyboard 2003). The spinet was different from the harpsichord in size and its keyboard, which was placed on the long side of instrument (2003).

An image of the spinet is seen below. Image 6. The Spinet (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1709, the harpsichord was replaced with the pianoforte or piano for short (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008). Bartolomeo de Francesco Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker, was responsible for creating piano (2008). Instead of plucking, hammers hit the strings and a level mechanism allows the player to produce soft and loud sounds, thus the term ‘pianoforte which translates to ‘soft-loud’ (Wright 48). During the Classical Period, the piano became the key keyboard of most musicians (Kamien 150).

In fact, major compositions of Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven used the piano (150). Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A Major, one of the best known concertos of all time, was completed in this period (186). Image 7. Cristofori Pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003) Gottfried Silbermann, a German was touted as the maker of the first successful pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003). In 1742, square pianos were made (2003). An image of a square piano is seen below. Image 8. Square Piano (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1739, the first upright piano was made by Domenico dela Mela (UK Piano.

org 2008). The first upright piano is much more similar to a grand piano, though (2008). In 1768, Johan Christian Bach gave the first ever piano recital (2008). By 1800, John Isaac Hawkins created the first true upright piano (2008). Piano’s popularity continued until from then on. When Jazz music became popular in the 1890s to 1915, ragtime piano was developed (Kamien 360). Ragtime was played by black pianists in saloons and dance halls (360). Among the famous ragtime player at that time was Scott Joplin. One of his more prominent pieces was “The Entertainer “(360).

The 1960s saw the birth of the electronic keyboard (Surovec 2002). Electric organs were used followed by amplified pianos (2002). From the spinet, virginal, clavichord and harpsichord which pluck the string, the invention of piano led to hammering the strings to produce sounds. Levers are used to work the hammers and dampers. The present piano has an iron frame which attaches the metal strings. When key is depressed, the felt-tipped hammers strike the strings, causing it to vibrate and make the sound. A piano also has tuning pins for tightening the strings.

It has an 88-note keyboard and two or three pedals (Kamien 25). Half a million videos of people playing the piano is more than enough evidence that the popularity of piano has not faded. In fact, it has become more popular than ever. Music is part of our everyday lives. Be it the chirping of the birds, the machinery hum or the sound of one’s sweet singing voice. And with the invention of musical instruments, music has never sounded so pleasant to listen to.

Works Cited

BBC. 2008. The Virginal Piano. 7 April 2008. <http://bbc. co. uk> Concert Piano Pitch Services.2008. Piano. 7 April 2008. <http://concertpitchpiano. com> Get Piano Lessons. com. 2008. How the Renaissance Time Period Shaped the History of the Piano. 7 April 2008. <http://get-piano-lessons. com> Goode, Ruth. The International Library of Piano Music. Vol. 14. New Jersey: University Society, Inc. 1967. Kamien, Roger. Music An Appreciation. 3rd ed. USA: McGraw-Hill, 1998. Kelly, Robert. Dec. 1998. Clavichord Technique and Performance Practice. 7 April 2008. < http://geocities. com/Vienna/3624/clavichd. htm> Marszalek, C. S. and B. Panagakis.

23 August 2004. Clavichord. 7 April 2008. <http://twingroves. district96. k12. il. us Piano Keyboard. com 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. <http:/pianokeyboard. com> Quimby Pipe Organs. com. 2008. Pipe Organs. 7 April 2008. <htp://quimbypipeorgans. com> Surovec, Sabrina. 2002. Electronic Music . 7 April 2008. <http://essortment. com> UK Piano. org. 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. <http://uk-piano. org> Wallis, Marcie. 2008. Dulcimer. 7 April 2008. <http://marciewallis. com> Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Minnesota: West Publishing Company, 1996.