Evolution of the Piano Essay Example for Free

Evolution of the indulgent Essay cardinal of the more(prenominal) popular musical instruments is the forte-piano. In Youtube alone, a popular video sharing website, type piano in the search box and result will show 574,000 uploaded videos. From the modern grand piano that people atomic number 18 grown accustomed to, it is interesting to find that piano began its journey from three things hammer, string and sounding board. Dulcimer, an instrument originating in Iran after the birth of Christ, is said to be the inspiration for the creation of the piano (Concert indulgent entrap go 2008). The dulcimer sh bes the same principles as the piano, with hammers striking/ beating strings placed in a flat soundboard (2008). However, in place of mechanical hammers, players utilise sticks (2008). Crusaders brought it to Europe during the Middle Ages (Marcie Wallis 2008). The term dulcimer comes from the Latin dulce melos which means agreeable sound (Marcie Wallis 2008). An image of d ulcimer is seen below. characterisation 1. Dulcimer (Marcie Wallis 2008) By the tenth century, pipe organs were the rage in churches (Goode 43).To play, a see is depressed, sending air into the pipe, thus producing a sound (Wright 47). The pipes are arranged in groups, with for each one group specializing in one tone (48). The pipes have a switch, called stops (48). When all stops are pulled, a forceful sound is produced. An image of a pipe organ is seen below. Image 2. Pipe pipe organ (Quimby Pipe Organs. com 2008) During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, a nonher keyboard instrument became popular- the virginal (Goode 43). The virginal is a box with strings (43). A quill was utilise to pluck the strings.The term virginal is said to be a acclamation to the Queen. Young ladies used to play the virginal. The virginal was placed on a table as seen in the image below or held in the lap. Image 3. The Virginal (BBC 2008). In 1400, the world was introduced to the clavichord (Concert Pi ano Pitch Services 2008). It is one of the oldest keyboard instruments. It works according to a simple principle The player depresses a key which in mos strikes a string with a metal blade called tangents, thereby producing sound (Marszalek and Panagakis 2006).It is a angulate box with keyboards on the side and strings stretched across (Kelly 1998). Once a key is depressed, the player sack also change the pitch to create a vibrato (1998). A clavichord player can make it fuss, striking strings in a succession manner of unfretted to produce one distinguish (Piano Keyboard 2003). Widely used in Europe, clavichords were popular during the Renaissance result (1998). The Renaissance (1450-1600) was a period of rebirth, specialness and individualism (Kamien 75). In this time, the focus was on human life (75).Thus, vocal music was given importance, with slavish music taking a backseat (78). Given its small design, the clavichord was usually contend in small consultation ( hit Pian o Lessons. com 2008). Despite its limitations, the clavichord was a popular instrument especially in German households (2008). The oldest surviving clavichord is from the yr 1543 (Piano Keyboard 2008). An image of the clavichord is seen below. Image 4. Clavichord (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008) Instrumental music saw its rise during the Baroque period (Wright 103).In this time, one instrument stood out- the harpsichord. The harpsichord originated in Northern Italy in 1400 but reached its peak during the Baroque period (Wright 48). It is the largest keyboard instrument. Some harpsichords had two keyboards (Marszalek and Panagakis 2004). Like the clavichord, the harpsichord is compete by depressing a key, which in turn forces a pick to pluck a string (48). The plucking produces a sound (103). However, its direct mechanism limits the harpsichord in controlling the forte (48). When a key is depressed, the sound and volume is still the same.Hence, harpsichords that were usually used had two keyboards to make sound gradations (48). This miserablecoming exemplified the way Baroque music sounded straightforward, uniformity continuity, no bluff changes (103). It was during the Baroque period that Johann Sebastian Bach rose as the greatest composer, and harpsichordist of his time (Kamien 125). His Bradenburg Concerto no. 5, written virtually 1721, gained importance for being the set-back piece wherein a harpsichord had a solo role (104). Usually, in a concerto grosso (the term used for small group of soloists), the instruments used were string instruments.In the Bradenburg Concerto, the harpsichord is played in the final section. An image of the harpsichord is seen below. Image 5. Harpsichord (Get Piano Lesons. com 2008) Henry Purcell, another renowned musician from the Baroque period, was chosen to be the organist of the Chapel Royal in London (UK Piano Pages 2008). By this time, the spinet had become popular. The spinet also came from the harpsichord family (Pia no Keyboard 2003). The spinet was different from the harpsichord in size and its keyboard, which was placed on the colossal side of instrument (2003).An image of the spinet is seen below. Image 6. The Spinet (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1709, the harpsichord was replaced with the pianoforte or piano for short (Get Piano Lessons. com 2008). Bartolomeo de Francesco Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker, was responsible for creating piano (2008). Instead of plucking, hammers hit the strings and a level mechanism allows the player to produce soft and loud sounds, thus the term pianoforte which translates to soft-loud (Wright 48). During the Classical Period, the piano became the key keyboard of most musicians (Kamien 150).In fact, major compositions of Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven used the piano (150). Mozarts Piano Concerto in A Major, one of the best known concertos of all time, was completed in this period (186). Image 7. Cristofori Pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003) Gottfried Silbermann, a German was touted as the maker of the first successful pianoforte (Piano Keyboard 2003). In 1742, neat pianos were made (2003). An image of a square piano is seen below. Image 8. Square Piano (Piano Keyboard 2003) In 1739, the first upright piano was made by Domenico dela Mela (UK Piano.org 2008). The first upright piano is much more resembling to a grand piano, though (2008). In 1768, Johan Christian Bach gave the first ever piano story (2008). By 1800, John Isaac Hawkins created the first true upright piano (2008). Pianos popularity continued until from indeed on. When Jazz music became popular in the 1890s to 1915, ragtime piano was developed (Kamien 360). Ragtime was played by black pianists in saloons and dance halls (360). Among the famous ragtime player at that time was Scott Joplin. One of his more prominent pieces was The Entertainer (360).The 1960s saw the birth of the electronic keyboard (Surovec 2002). Electric organs were used followed by amplified pianos (2002). From the spinet, virginal, clavichord and harpsichord which pluck the string, the invention of piano led to hammering the strings to produce sounds. Levers are used to work the hammers and dampers. The present piano has an iron frame which attaches the metal strings. When key is depressed, the felt-tipped hammers strike the strings, causing it to thrill and make the sound. A piano also has tuning pins for tightening the strings.It has an 88-note keyboard and two or three pedals (Kamien 25). half a million videos of people playing the piano is more than enough evidence that the popularity of piano has not faded. In fact, it has become more popular than ever. Music is part of our everyday lives. Be it the chirping of the birds, the machinery hum or the sound of ones sweet singing voice. And with the invention of musical instruments, music has never sounded so pleasant to listen to.Works CitedBBC. 2008. The Virginal Piano. 7 April 2008. http//bbc . co. uk Concert Piano Pitch Services.2008. Piano. 7 April 2008. http//concertpitchpiano. com Get Piano Lessons. com. 2008. How the Renaissance Time Period Shaped the History of the Piano. 7 April 2008. http//get-piano-lessons. com Goode, Ruth. The International Library of Piano Music. Vol. 14. New Jersey University Society, Inc. 1967. Kamien, Roger. Music An Appreciation. 3rd ed. USA McGraw-Hill, 1998. Kelly, Robert. Dec. 1998. Clavichord Technique and Performance Practice. 7 April 2008. http//geocities. com/Vienna/3624/clavichd. htm Marszalek, C. S. and B. Panagakis.23 August 2004. Clavichord. 7 April 2008. http//twingroves. district96. k12. il. us Piano Keyboard. com 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. http/pianokeyboard. com Quimby Pipe Organs. com. 2008. Pipe Organs. 7 April 2008. htp//quimbypipeorgans. com Surovec, Sabrina. 2002. electronic Music . 7 April 2008. http//essortment. com UK Piano. org. 2008. Piano History. 7 April 2008. http//uk-piano. org Wallis, Marcie. 2008. Du lcimer. 7 April 2008. http//marciewallis. com Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Minnesota West Publishing Company, 1996.