History of the Piano

The Modern Piano

Between 1790-1860 the innovations and design changes in the fortepiano turned the instrument into the modern piano. Some of these evolutions were driven by composers and performers who wanted a more powerful instrument that was capable of forceful playing and an extended dynamic and volume range. The Industrial Revolution made these changes possible due to scientific and technological advances which lead to higher quality wire for piano strings and the ability to precisely cast iron frames that could withstand the tension from the piano strings.

One of the early innovators in the evolution from fortepiano to piano was the Broadwood company. Broadwood, Stodart, and Backers all worked together in Shudi’s harpsichord studio. Eventually, Broadwood married Barbara Shudi, his employer’s daughter, and took over the company, renaming it after himself. The Shudi firm was known for their elaborate harpsichord cases which were then adapted to house the piano’s mechanisms. In 1777 they created their first instrument which combined these elements and created the first “grand” piano. Subsequent Broadwood instruments were louder, larger, and had sturdier construction. Broadwood also worked to expand the piano’s range from the standard five octaves. By 1790 their instruments were 5 1/2 octaves and by 1810 featured six octaves.

The company collaborated with the piano virtuoso Jan Ladislav Dussek, a Czech pianist and composer who championed this extension of range. Dussek wrote pieces specifically for these pianos, requiring notes that were not available on instruments by other makers. The company shipped pianos to Haydn and Beethoven in Vienna and reportedly it was one of the Beethoven’s favorite instruments; several of Beethoven’s late piano works utilize the extended range available to him on his Broadwood piano. By 1820 Broadwood had extended the range to seven octaves. Viennese piano makers followed suit, adding more notes to their instruments as well, however they did not change their piano action. The two instruments were very different in sound production and responsiveness.

Around 1820 Paris became a center of innovation for piano production with instruments produced by Pleyel and Érard. The Pleyel company was founded in 1807 by the composer Ignace Pleyel who was Austrian by birth but spent most of his career in France, writing hundreds of works, setting up a successful publishing business, and managing to navigate the French Revolution as a foreigner, artist, and wealthy individual. In 1815 Pleyel first introduced a version of the upright piano called a “pianino” which was a small instrument suitable for the home. The pianos became incredibly popular and by 1834 Pleyel had two hundred and fifty employees who produced 1000 pianos annually. Like Broadwood, Pleyel’s company continued to innovate. Their most important contribution was adding a metal frame to the piano which added more structure and stability to the instrument.

Pleyel’s firm also created unique instruments, including a double piano, essentially two pianos in the same frame. They also built the so-called “Jungle Piano” which Dr. Albert Schweitzer took to his hospital in Gabon which had certain modifications to allow the instrument to function in the tropical climate. Like Streicher before them, the Pleyel company built a concert hall. The original was the Salle Pleyel or Pleyel Room which seated around three hundred and hosted a recital by Chopin. Later they expanded to a new Salle Pleyel which seated 3,000. The Pleyel company not only made pianos, but they also made a few harpsichords as well. Including a special version with a metal frame for Wanda Landowska who used the instrument to premiere the Concert champetre or “Pastoral Concerto” by Francis Poulenc in the Salle Pleyel. Pleyel’s instruments were the favorite of Frédéric Chopin as well as Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns, Maurice Ravel, and Igor Stravinsky, who worked for Pleyel upon his arrival from France after leaving Russia during the Revolution.

Sébastien Érard also had a piano workshop in Paris. He began his training making harpsichords at the age of sixteen. He quickly surpassed his employer’s knowledge and was fired in a fit of jealousy. He opened his own shop and built his first pianoforte in 1777. During the French Revolution, Érard relocated to London because of his ties to the French royal family who had bought several instruments from him. Upon his return to Paris in 1796, he made his own version of the English grand pianoforte after the style of Broadwood, adding his own improvements. The most important innovation made by Érard was the “double escapement” action which allowed for notes to be played repeatedly more easily and quickly. Érard was the first manufacturer to attach pedals to the piano, not only the sustain pedal but ones that shifted the action and one called the bassoon pedal which applied leather to the strings creating a buzzing sound. He also made technical changes and upgrades to the action, soundboard, and tuning. Most of these innovations remain in modern pianos today. Many prominent composers and performers used Érard pianos, most notably Franz Liszt who had a contract with the company and whose 1825 European tour was sponsored by Érard.

Structural Changes to the Piano

One of the biggest structural changes to the piano was the addition of a cast iron frame to the instrument. The frame is placed on top of the soundboard and helps alleviate the massive tension on the instrument caused by the strings. (In a modern grand piano, the force of the tension can be more than 20 tons.) Between 1821-1843 many different firms in Europe and America filed patents for new developments in iron frames to be added to pianos. Often frames in Europe were made of a composite metal while in America single pieces of cast iron were used, which eventually became the standard. The frame’s added structural integrity allowed manufacturers to use thicker and stronger wire for strings and allowed the use of more strings in each instrument. Like with the frame, companies competed against each other to create the best version of wire for piano strings and often these wires were tested against each other in competitions, leading to the invention of the modern version used today.

How the piano was strung also changed too and different companies used various methods of stringing the piano to create unique sounds. The most common was called cross-stringing or over-stringing which divides the strings into two groups, each at a different height. Although first developed in Europe, Henry Steinway Jr. patented the use of this method in the United States in 1857. Since that time, the Steinway company has become one of the most important piano manufacturers in the United States. The company continued developing new ideas and ways to make the piano work better and have been granted 139 different patents. Like all technologies, there continue to be innovations and new ideas about how to make pianos work even better. In Washington state, Fandrich and Sons pianos created their “Fandrich Vertical Action” which utilizes an action that makes an upright piano sound very similar to a grand piano. The family business is based in Stanwood, Washington (only a few miles from Skagit Symphony!)

Modern pianos have eighty-eight keys spanning seven octaves. However, they have many more strings, usually about two hundred and thirty. The higher notes have three strings per note, while lower notes have only two and the very lowest notes have only one string. Higher notes feature shorter, thinner strings, while the low notes are thicker and longer. The strings are usually made of steel, but the bass notes usually feature strings wrapped with copper wire in addition to the steel. The higher notes have more strings to increase their volume. Having more than one string also increases the resonance of the note. Even though all three strings are hit by only one hammer, they are not hit at exactly the same time. This minute variation in the start of the note creates a slightly different oscillation pattern between each string. As these strings vibrate together it creates a full, rich sound.

Instrument makers created a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and designs as the piano was developing into its modern form. One popular variety was a square piano which was a large rectangular shape that had its strings strung across each other at extreme angles. These instruments were popular because they were rather inexpensive and due to their shape were easy to fit into a home, however since the soundboard was small and narrow the instrument was not very loud and there were difficulties aligning the hammers properly since the strings were spaced so closely. Another version was a grand piano that was strung vertically instead of horizontally, these were sometimes called “giraffe pianos” or “pyramid pianos.” Many other unique pianos were created during this time, although none were popular enough or had the highest quality sound to remain in production. The endeavor to create a novel piano design has continued into the present time.

By the end of the 19th century, the upright and grand pianos that we recognize had found their traditional shapes and forms. Grand pianos have a horizontal soundboard and strings that begin near the keyboard and extend away from it along the soundboard. The piano’s action is beneath the strings. Grand pianos range in size from a baby grand which is almost five feet long to a concert grand which can be between seven feet and almost ten feet long. Upright pianos feature a vertical frame and strings and feature an action developed by English manufacturer Robert Wornum. In an upright piano, the hammers move horizontally and use springs to return to their resting position. These pianos became popular because they were less expensive and smaller, making them easier to fit into a wider variety of homes. As with grand pianos, upright pianos come in a variety of size from the spinet, the smallest version, which has its action below the keys and wires attached to the back of the keys to the slightly bigger console piano, which has its action above the keys. Studio pianos and upright pianos are bigger still.

In the 20th century electric pianos were developed, with the earliest example in 1929. This early version utilized amplifiers and magnets attached to the metal strings to broadcast over a loudspeaker. In the 1960s and 70s electric pianos were developed using metal tines instead of strings and electromagnetic pickups, similar to how an electric guitar works. Later electronic instruments used synthesizers to create the piano sound using sound waves rather than having strings. Digital pianos work in a similar way but use digital sampling to recreate the sound of a piano.

Although we sometimes take pianos for granted, viewing them as a common place instrument, they have a fascinating and complex history. Much of the standard keyboard music written and performed today would have originally been played on a very different instrument, whether it was the harpsichord, a clavichord, or a fortepiano. The next time you hear a piano or play a piano, take a moment to consider all the work and innovation that went into the creation of the instrument.