Monday, March 26, 2007

N.1 Pianoforte Cristofori 1726: symbol of Italy's leadership in musical matters

Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco (May 4, 1655 - January 27, 1731) was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano. He worked for the Medici family of Florence.

Cristofori's 1726 piano design boasted almost all of the features of the modern instrument. However, his piano was (from the modern point of view) of very light construction, lacking in particular a metal frame; this meant that it could not produce an especially loud tone. This continued to be the rule for pianos until around 1820, when iron bracing was first introduced.

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