Around 1709, Italian harpsichord maker created a musical instrument still used extensively around the world: How Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano?

Around 1709, Italian harpsichord maker created a musical instrument still used extensively around the world. Bartolomeo Cristofori is generally credited with inventing the piano, an instrument that changed keyboard music. The Italian instrument maker developed a system in which hammers struck strings instead of plucking them. This allowed musicians to play soft and loud notes by changing the pressure placed on the keys. The instrument was known at the time as the gravicembalo col piano e forte, meaning a harpsichord that could play soft and loud. Cristofori continued improving the design, and by 1726 his piano action contained the main elements found in modern pianos.

Around 1709, Italian harpsichord maker created a musical instrument still used extensively around the world

The history of the piano is linked to Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker and instrument builder. He was born on May 4, 1655, in Padua, then part of the Republic of Venice, in present-day Italy. He died in Florence on January 27, 1732.


Cristofori worked at a time when keyboard instruments included harpsichords, spinets and other designs. The harpsichord produced sound by plucking strings. Its mechanism did not allow a performer to change the loudness of a note by pressing a key harder or softer.

Cristofori worked on a different mechanism. He replaced the plucking system with a hammer action. The hammers could strike the strings with different levels of force. This created a way for performers to control volume through their touch. The result became the piano. The instrument was initially called gravicembalo col piano e forte. The name described its main feature. It could produce piano, meaning soft, and forte, meaning loud.

What is the invention?

The invention was the early piano, which became the foundation for the modern piano. Its main change was the hammer action. In a harpsichord, pressing a key caused a quill or similar mechanism to pluck a string. In Cristofori's design, pressing a key caused a leather-covered hammer to strike the string.

The hammer then moved away from the string. This allowed the string to continue vibrating and producing sound. This mechanism gave performers control that was not available on the harpsichord.

The three main features of Cristofori's piano design included:

• Hammer action: Leather-covered hammers struck the strings instead of using the traditional harpsichord plucking mechanism.
• Dynamic control: Musicians could produce soft or loud notes depending on how much pressure they placed on the keys.
• Escapement mechanism: The hammer separated from the key mechanism shortly before striking the string. This allowed the string to vibrate freely and helped the mechanism reset for another note.

These elements became important parts of piano development.

Why and how was it invented?

Cristofori's work addressed a problem in keyboard instruments. The harpsichord could produce different sounds through its stops and arrangements, but the performer could not directly control the volume of an individual note by changing key pressure. Cristofori developed a mechanism that connected the player's touch with the force of the hammer.

If a musician pressed a key with less force, the hammer struck with less force. If the musician pressed harder, the hammer struck with more force. This produced a difference in volume. The invention therefore gave keyboard performers greater control over musical expression.

Cristofori also worked on other keyboard instruments. His designs show that he was interested in improving sound, space and performance. His oval spinet, developed around 1690, had an oval-shaped case. It followed the virginal style and placed the longest strings in the middle. This arrangement helped create a smaller instrument while maintaining its keyboard function.

Around 1700, he also developed the spinettone. It was a larger, multi-choired spinet designed to produce more volume while fitting into limited spaces in orchestra pits. These instruments formed part of Cristofori's wider work as an instrument maker.

Who invented the piano?

Bartolomeo Cristofori is generally credited with inventing the piano. He moved from Padua to Florence around 1690 after being invited by Prince Ferdinando de' Medici. Ferdinando was a skilled harpsichordist, and the invitation suggests that Cristofori already had a reputation as a keyboard instrument builder.

A three-keyboard harpsichord dated 1702 has sometimes been attributed to Cristofori. It carries the arms of Ferdinando and is preserved in the Stearns Collection at the University of Michigan. Cristofori apparently developed the piano around 1709. Contemporary sources indicate that four of his pianos existed by 1711.

His invention, however, did not become widely known during his lifetime. In 1713, Ferdinando died. Cristofori continued working for Grand Duke Cosimo III. In 1716, he became responsible for the collection of instruments assembled by Ferdinando. The collection contained 84 instruments. Seven were harpsichords or spinets made by Cristofori.

How did Cristofori improve the piano?

Cristofori continued working on his design after its initial development. By 1726, he had reached the main elements of the modern piano action. His work included the hammer mechanism and escapement system that allowed the instrument to respond to the player's touch.

However, his pianos had a limitation. Their frames were made from wood in the manner used for harpsichords. These wooden frames could not withstand the level of string tension used in later pianos. Because of this, Cristofori's instruments could not produce the same level of power associated with later piano designs.

The surviving instruments show what his design could achieve. Three examples are preserved in museums in the United States, Germany and Italy. One is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Another is in the Museum of Musical Instruments in Leipzig. A third is in the Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome. These surviving pianos show that Cristofori's mechanism could produce different levels of sound and respond to the performer.

How did the invention spread?

Cristofori's piano design was largely ignored in Italy during his lifetime. The design later became known in Germany through articles published in dictionaries of music. German instrument makers learned about the mechanism and adopted ideas from Cristofori's work. The piano then developed further.

Later makers changed the structure, frame and strings. These changes allowed pianos to withstand greater string tension and produce more volume. Over time, the instrument became common in homes, concert halls, schools and music institutions. Cristofori's basic idea remained important: a keyboard could control hammers that struck strings, allowing the player to influence volume through touch.

How did it help the world?

The piano gave musicians a new way to control sound from a keyboard instrument. Before this development, performers using harpsichords had limited control over the volume of individual notes through key pressure. Cristofori's hammer action connected physical touch with musical dynamics.

This changed keyboard performance. The piano later became an instrument used for solo performances, chamber music, orchestras, teaching and composition. Composers could write music that depended on changes between soft and loud passages.

The instrument also became useful for learning and arranging music. Pianists could perform melodies, harmonies and multiple musical parts at the same time. Its use spread across countries and musical traditions.

The modern piano contains many changes that were made after Cristofori's time. Modern frames, strings, pedals and other components differ from those found in his instruments. Yet the basic principle of using hammers to strike strings remains connected to his invention.

Why is Bartolomeo Cristofori important in piano history?

Cristofori's importance comes from the mechanism he developed rather than the final form of the modern piano. He created a keyboard instrument that responded to the pressure of the player's fingers. His hammer action replaced the harpsichord's plucking mechanism and made dynamic control possible.

His invention was not widely recognised during his lifetime. It later influenced instrument makers in Germany and contributed to the development of the piano. The surviving Cristofori instruments provide evidence of the design and its capabilities.

His work also shows that the history of musical instruments often develops through several stages. Cristofori built and modified different keyboard instruments before and after developing the piano. The piano eventually became one of the most widely used keyboard instruments in the world.