A brief history of the piano

Who Invented the Piano?

So, who actually invented the piano?

A man called Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1732) is generally credited with creating the first piano in Florence around the year 1700. He was a craftsman who spent his time repairing harpsichords, and at some point clearly thought, “there must be a better way of doing this.”

Instead of plucking strings like a harpsichord, he came up with the idea of using hammers to strike them—and that’s where everything changed.

The Problem with the Harpsichord

The interesting thing with the harpsichord is that, although it was popular at the time, it had a pretty big flaw.

Because the strings were plucked, every note came out at pretty much the same volume. You couldn’t play softly, you couldn’t build anything dynamically—it was all just… one level.

Cristofori managed to fix this by designing a mechanism where the hammer would strike the string and then immediately fall away, instead of resting on it and killing the sound. On top of that, it could reset quickly enough to play the same note again without any delay.

It might not sound like much now, but at the time, this was a massive step forward.

The First “Piano”

Because of this ability to play both soft and loud, Cristofori named his invention gravicembalo col piano e forte—which basically means “a keyboard instrument that can play quietly and loudly.”

Not exactly the catchiest name, so it eventually got shortened to what we now call the piano.

Interestingly, in the Hornbostel-Sachs system, the piano is classed as a chordophone, which means it produces sound through vibrating strings. So technically, it sits in the same family as instruments like the violin, guitar, and harp.

Not many people realise that, to be honest.

Why Is It Called a Piano?

The word “piano” actually comes from the Italian word pianoforte.

“Piano” means soft, and “forte” means loud—which, again, goes back to the whole point of the instrument in the first place. Over time, people just shortened it to “piano,” and that’s what stuck.

From Luxury Item to Family Instrument

When the piano first came about, it wasn’t something you’d just have sitting in your living room.

They were expensive—really expensive—and only the wealthiest people in Europe could afford them. Over time, though, designs improved. By the mid-18th century, pianos became smaller and a bit more practical, which meant more people could start owning them.

By the late 18th century, the piano had made its way over to the United States, and from there it just kept growing in popularity.

Builders started experimenting—more keys, stronger materials, bigger sound—and before long, the piano was everywhere, including orchestras.

The Composers Who Took It Further

As the instrument developed, composers really started to take advantage of what it could do.

People like Ludwig van Beethoven pushed the piano to its limits. By the time he was writing his later sonatas, the instrument had already come a long way from those early versions.

It didn’t take long for the piano to replace the harpsichord as the main keyboard instrument.

The Industrial Revolution Changed Everything

Then along came the Industrial Revolution, which completely changed how pianos were made.

Instead of being built entirely by hand, factories started producing them on a much larger scale. That meant they became cheaper, more consistent, and far more accessible to everyday families.

And that’s when the piano really took off.

The Piano’s Influence on Music

When you look at music over the years, the piano has been right in the middle of it all.

Classical, jazz, blues, boogie woogie, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, gospel—you name it, the piano’s been involved in shaping it.

Is the Piano Still as Popular?

Now, if we’re being honest, the piano probably isn’t as popular as it once was. Guitars and other instruments tend to dominate these days, especially when you look at live music.

But here’s the thing.

Some of the greatest songs ever written have come from people sitting at a piano, and that’s not going to change any time soon.

So while trends might shift, the piano isn’t going anywhere. It’s been around for over 300 years—and I’d say it’s here to stay.