The Piano

Lore & Background

The piano was based on earlier technological innovations in struck-string instruments and keyboard instruments. The earliest known keyboard instrument was the Ancient Greek hydraulis, a type of pipe organ invented in the third century BC. The first string instruments with struck strings were the hammered dulcimers, which originated in the Middle East and were introduced in Europe in the Middle Ages. By the 17th century, the mechanisms of keyboard instruments such as the clavichord and the harpsichord were well developed. Cristofori, an expert harpsichord maker, designed a stringed keyboard instrument in which the notes are struck by a hammer that must rebound quickly to avoid damping the sound.

Reader's Guide

The piano's significance lies in its ability to produce variations in volume in response to the pianist's touch, unlike the pipe organ and harpsichord. It combines the loudness of the harpsichord with the dynamic control of the clavichord. In the 19th century, influenced by Romantic music trends, the fortepiano underwent changes such as the use of a cast iron frame, which allowed much greater string tensions, and aliquot stringing gave grand pianos a more powerful sound, a longer sustain, and a richer tone. The piano became more common, allowing families to listen to newly published musical pieces by having a family member play a simplified version. Despite its weight and cost, the piano's versatility, the extensive training of musicians, and its availability in venues, schools, and rehearsal spaces have made it a familiar instrument in the Western world. The grand piano offers better sound and more precise key control, while the upright piano is more commonly used due to its smaller size and lower cost.

Did You Know?

• The English word piano is a shortened form of the Italian pianoforte, derived from 'gravecembalo col piano e forte' (harpsichord with soft and loud).
• Cristofori's early instruments were made with thin strings and were much quieter than the modern piano.
• Most notes have three strings, except for the bass, which graduates from one to two.

The Keyboard Family's Rich Tapestry

The keyboard category in this instrument catalog reveals a far broader world than most listeners imagine. Beyond the familiar piano, the list encompasses a remarkable spectrum of keyboard-based instruments spanning multiple continents and centuries. Accordion variants appear in several distinct forms—chromatic button, diatonic button, free bass, and the Austrian Schrammel and Steirische Harmonika types—each representing different regional playing traditions. The Hammond organ and electronic organ stand alongside the reed organ, while the Indian harmonium brings a South Asian voice into the collection. Historical instruments like the virginals, claviorgan, and claviharp connect modern players to earlier keyboard traditions. The square piano and honky-tonk piano represent specific American musical contexts, while the minipiano and player piano showcase mechanical and compact innovations. The orchestron and physharmonica add further layers, demonstrating that the keyboard family is far from a single, unified lineage.

Glass, Water, and Unconventional Percussion

The 'other percussion instruments' section of this catalog is a fascinating collection of entries that defy conventional expectations of what percussion can be. Glass-based instruments dominate the list, including the glass harmonica, glass harp, and glasschord, each producing sound through the vibration of glass surfaces. Water plays a central role in several entries: the hydraulophone, sea organ, and the Japanese suikinkutsu all harness flowing water to create tonal effects. The list also includes the waterphone, sênh tiền, silnyen, tetzilacatl, and toka, suggesting a widespread global tradition of using liquid or glass for melodic percussion. More unusual entries like the pyrophone, plasmaphone, and quintephone push the boundaries of what materials can produce structured sound. The shishi-odoshi from Japan and the monkey stick add playful, mechanical elements, while the jhyamta, khmuoh, kong chmol, and lau represent instruments tied to specific cultural traditions documented in this reference.

A Classification Framework for Sound

The structure of this instrument list follows the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, which organizes all musical instruments into fundamental categories based on their primary sound-producing mechanism. The top-level divisions visible here include idiophones, membranophones, aerophones, chordophones, and electrophones. This taxonomic approach means that a piano and a glass harmonica, though both capable of producing melodic lines, are classified in entirely different families. The 'see also' section further contextualizes the list by pointing readers toward medieval instruments, fictional instruments, folk music traditions, and the full Hornbostel-Sachs numbering system. This framework transforms what might appear to be a simple catalog into a window into how ethnomusicologists conceptualize the relationships between instruments across cultures, centuries, and technological eras.

Global and Historical Reach

The breadth of this instrument catalog reflects the extraordinary diversity of human musical invention across time and geography. Japanese contributions include the suikinkutsu water zither, the shishi-odoshi, and the yunluo, while the Indian harmonium anchors South Asian representation in the keyboard section. The presence of instruments like the jhyamta, khmuoh, kong chmol, and lau suggests documentation of instruments from specific cultural traditions that might otherwise remain obscure to a general audience. The 'see also' references to medieval musical instruments and folk music traditions indicate that this list is part of a larger scholarly effort to preserve knowledge of instruments spanning many centuries. The inclusion of both ancient forms such as the virginals and claviorgan alongside modern electronic instruments like the electronic keyboard and electronic organ demonstrates how the keyboard tradition stretches from the early modern period into the digital age, encompassing everything from the square piano to the Hammond organ.

Common Misconceptions (Editorial)

One common misconception is that the piano was invented in the 18th century by a single person, which is true—Bartolomeo Cristofori is indeed credited as its inventor. Another is that the piano’s full name, “pianoforte,” refers simply to its ability to play both soft and loud, which is accurate, as the term originally comes from the Italian for “harpsichord with soft and loud.” No fact-supported misconceptions can be corrected here, as the provided facts align with common understanding.

Why It Matters (Editorial)

The piano endures as a cornerstone of Western and global music because it uniquely combines percussive force with lyrical expressiveness, allowing a single player to command both melody and harmony. Its versatility—from classical concertos to jazz improvisation and pop songwriting—ensures it remains an essential tool for composition, performance, and education across virtually every musical tradition.

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