Brief History of the Piano
One of the first stringed instruments was the harp - a frame with strings stretched across to a soundboard, and plucked with the fingers. The principle of tone production on the piano is derived from the Dulcimer on which the wire strings are struck with hammers.
The keyboard was used by the ancient Greeks on the organ and on stringed instruments when the Clavichord was developed.
So-called Square Piano
The first Piano was built in the early 1700s by Christofori (1655-1732), a Florentine maker of Harpsichords. His great achievement was the 'escapement' and this first real escapement mechanism is often called 'A Hammer Harpsichord'.
It is around this time also that the name 'pianoforte' came into use, probably due to an article written about Christofori's instruments "Gravicembalo col piano e forte" or 'harpsichords with soft and loud'.
In 1767 Johann Zumpe built the first so-called 'Square Piano' (it was actually oblong) which is now in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
The 'Square Piano' was developed in London jointly by Zumpe and a Swiss named Shudi. Contributions to pianoforte design were made in other countries too - John Hawkins, an Englishman in America, made the first iron frame, but London remained the centre where the greatest progress was made with Broadwood inventing the sustaining pedal in 1783 and the Broadwood company later making pianos for both Beehoven and Chopin.
Giraffe Piano
Many shapes and sizes were produced in the 19th Century - the Giraffe Piano being one of them and this can be seen in German museums.
London, however, continued to be the world centre and during the 19th Century makers strove for more powerful tone by building large Grand Pianos suitable only for concert halls.
In 1935 Alfred Knight developed the first small upright piano to retain the characteristics of the large instruments.
The Modern Piano
There are 43 units in the modern piano action - an outstanding example of precision woodworking. Metal, felt and tape are also used in the construction. Bearing surfaces of the wood are coated with graphite, which is burnished to a mirror-finish to minimise friction.
A full-sized piano has 220 strings with the average tension on each being 170lbs.