History of the Piano - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

History of the PianoSlide2

1700

Bartolomeo Cristofori's "new invention" of the piano e forte recorded, Florence, ItalySlide3

1711

Scipione Maffei publishes a journal article about the piano

Slide4

1716

Jean Marius submits hammer-keyboard designs to Royal Academy of Sciences, ParisSlide5

1721

Christoph Gottlieb Schröter submits hammer-keyboard designs to the Saxon Court, DresdenSlide6

1725

Translation of Maffei's article into German stimulates widespread interest in pianos

Pianos first advertised in ViennaSlide7

1730s

Pianos known to be in Portuguese and Spanish courtsSlide8

1730

Kirkman piano makers founded in London, EnglandSlide9

1732

First published piano music, by Ludovico GiustiniSlide10

1739

Domenico del Mela builds earliest known upright piano, Gagliano, ItalySlide11

1740

George Frederic Handel plays on a piano, London, EnglandSlide12

1747

J. S. Bach plays a Silberman piano at the Prussian Court, Potsdam, and composes the

Musical OfferingSlide13

1750s

Pianos advertised for sale in FranceSlide14

1753-62

C. P. E. Bach: Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments publishedSlide15

1760s

Pianos derived from Cristofori built in Spain and Portugal Slide16

1767

Early public piano performances, one by Johann Christian Bach, LondonSlide17

1768

First public piano performance in ParisSlide18

1771

Americus Backers produces the English grand piano, London Slide19

1771

Earliest reported public piano performance in North America by David Propert, BostonSlide20

1771

Robert Stodart takes out a patent using the name "Grand" to describe his instrument.

This was the first known use of the word "Grand" in a patent. Slide21

1773

First public piano performance in New York Slide22

1774

John Joseph Merlin comes to England and introduces the "Una Corda Pedal" which moved the action to one side just hitting two strings instead of three, making the piano quieter. *first pedal invented*Slide23

1779

Muzio Clementi publishes his first piano sonatas, LondonSlide24

1780s

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach publishes series of sonatas and fantasias for piano

Haydn takes up the pianoSlide25

1780

Anton Walter making pianos, including one for Mozart, in ViennaSlide26

1781

Mozart and Clementi 'duel' in ViennaSlide27

1783

English piano manufacturer Broadwood is credited with the invention of the sustain pedal. *second pedal invented*Slide28

1784-6

Mozart:

Piano Concertos Nos. 14-25 composedSlide29

1794-5

Haydn:

'London' piano sonatas and trios composed Slide30

1795

Beethoven:

3 Piano Trios, Op. 1 and 3 Piano Sonatas, Op. 2 published Slide31

1797

First piano magazine,

The Pianoforte, London Slide32

1800

John Isaac Hawkins of Philadelphia makes small uprights Slide33

1801

Edward Riley obtains a patent for a transposing piano, in which the keyboard moved laterally, allowing keys to work on different notes

Challen Pianos London was established. Their clam to fame is that they made the worlds largest grand: twelve feet longSlide34

1817

Thomas Broadwood, London presents a grand piano to Beethoven, ViennaSlide35

1820

First successful use of metal in grand piano frame by Thom and Allen, London Slide36

1823

Jonas Chickering begins making pianos in Boston Slide37

1826

Henri Pape patents use of felt for hammer covering, Paris

Robert Wornum patents tape-check action, the basis for modern uprights, London

Slide38

1828

Ignaz Bösendorfer begins making pianos, ViennaSlide39

1828

Johann Nepomuk Hummel:

A Complete Theoretical and Practical Course of Instruction on the Art of Playing the Piano Forte

published. Slide40

1833

Chopin:

Études Op. 10 publishedSlide41

1837

Knabe Company established, Baltimore Slide42

1839

Czerny:

The Compete Theoretical and Practical Pianoforte School, Op. 500 published

Liszt establishes the solo recital, performing from memory and without assisting artistsSlide43

1843

Chickering patents one-piece metal frame for grands Slide44

1848

Debain

invents an automatic mechanical piano, Paris Slide45

1853

Steinway & Sons, New York established

*this is still one of the most popular piano companies today. Steinway pianos are considered very elite*Slide46

1853

Chickering builds new factory, second largest building in U.S.Slide47

1854

Mason & Hamlin established in BostonSlide48

1856

Wurlitzer Company established, Chicago

*along with Steinway, this company

Is another very elite and

classical piano

company* Slide49

1859

Henry Steinway, Jr. patents cross-stringing for grands Slide50

1862

At London Exposition, Steinway wins a medal with cross-strung grandSlide51

1862

Baldwin established in Cincinnati, Ohio

*along with Steinway and

Wurlitzer, Baldwin is

another very elite piano

company*Slide52

1867

Chickering and Steinway win the top prizes at Paris Exposition Slide53

1872

Theodore Steinway patents the duplex scale to enrich the toneSlide54

1874

Albert Steinway patents the sostenuto pedal (middle pedal on modern grands)Slide55

1874

Musorgsky:

Pictures at an Exhibition originally composed for piano Slide56

1885

Aeolian Organ & Music Co. founded to make automatic organs, later automatic pianosSlide57

1899

Torakusu Yamaha begins making pianos, JapanSlide58

1899

Scott Joplin:

Maple Leaf Rag publishedSlide59

1900

Baldwin wins grand prize at Paris ExpositionSlide60

1901

Welte

-Mignon builts a player-piano mechanism, Freiburg, GermanySlide61

1904

American piano manufacturers make bonfire of square pianos, Atlantic CitySlide62

1905

The Juilliard School founded Slide63

1908

American Piano Co. founded, incorporates Chickering, Knabe, Weber, Haines Brothers, and others

National Association of Piano Tuners foundedSlide64

1910

Steinway & Sons moves its factory entirely from Manhattan to Astoria, Long Island NYSlide65

1910

Broadwood among the first British piano makers to make player pianosSlide66

1919

156,000 regular pianos and 180,000 player pianos manufactured in U.S.Slide67

1923

Jelly Roll Morton's first recordings, ChicagoSlide68

1924

Gershwin’s

Rhapsody in Blue premieredSlide69

1927

Koichi Kawai leaves Yamaha and starts his own firm, Japan Slide70

1928

Earl "Fatha" Hines records Apex Blues, Weather BirdSlide71

1929

Neo-Bechstein, electric piano with electromagnetic pickups to amplify struck strings Slide72

1933

Art Tatum's first professional solo recordings

Slide73

1940

John Cage:

Bacchanale, first “prepared” piano pieceSlide74

1953

Liberace wins 2 Emmy Awards for network television programsSlide75

1958

Van Cliburn wins Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, first American to do so.Slide76

1960

Harold Rhodes develops the electric piano (Fender-Rhodes)Slide77

1966

Bösendorfer, Vienna, acquired by Kimball, ChicagoSlide78

1968

Young Chang begins making pianos,

Inchon, S. KoreaSlide79

1969

Japanese piano production exceeds that of all other countries combined

Yamaha is Japan's largest producerSlide80

1972

CBS buys Steinway & Sons Slide81

1980s

Development of computerized player pianos, Bösendorfer, Yamaha, Baldwin, and othersSlide82

1985

A group of Boston businessmen buys Steinway & Sons from CBS Slide83

1990

Young Chang buys Kurzweil Music Systems, American maker of electronic keyboards Slide84

1995

Steinway and Selmer merge into Steinway Musical Instruments

Baldwin buys Wurlitzer and ChickeringSlide85

1998

Broadwood celebrates their 270th anniversary Slide86

2000

The year 2000 marks the 300th year of piano manufacturing

Piano300 exhibition opens at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.Slide87

2001

Baldwin files for bankruptcySlide88

2002

Gibson purchases Baldwin Piano Co., including the Chickering and Wurlitzer names.Slide89

2002

Bosendorfer purchased by Austrian banking group and releases Porsche Design 7 foot grandSlide90

2003

Steinway celebrates its 150th anniversary at Carnegie Hall in New York

Slide91

2003

Bluthner releases its "left-handed" or "backwards" grand piano - with the treble keys, hammers and strings on the left and the bass on the right. Many ask “Why?”Slide92

2003

Grotrian (Germany) introduces its Duo Grand Piano - 2 grand pianos placed side by side with keyboards at opposite ends, as in a duo piano concert, with connected soundboards and a common lid. Slide93

Grotrian Duo Grand PianoSlide94

2005

Steinway announces to move production of some of the Essex models to the Pearl River Factory in China.Slide95

2006

Schulze Pollman partners with Ferrari Motor Cars to launch limited edition pianoSlide96

Piano parts and info

88 Keys (except for Bösendorfer)

Bass notes have 1 string, Tenor notes have 2, and Treble notes have 3 for 236 total strings

160 to 200 pounds on each

Total of

35,000

lbs.!Slide97

Grand Piano cut-awaySlide98

Back frameSlide99

Sound boardSlide100

Soundboard topSlide101

Soundboard bottomSlide102

FrameSlide103

Seiler suspension pianoSlide104

Fazioli Liminal pianoSlide105

Kawai Acrylic painoSlide106

Baldwin ZebraSlide107

Challen 12 foot grand

Weight – 2,000lbs

String tension – 50,000lbs.Slide108

Schimmel PegasusSlide109

Bösendorfer shortSlide110

Bösendorfer medium