Fortepiano

The Fortepiano is the first version of the modern day piano. Bartolomeo Cristofori, the Italian
instrument maker is considered by most as the inventor of the Fortepiano, who invented it around
1700 in Florence. He is even said of calling the Fortepiano 'gravicembalo col piano e forte' which
translates into 'Harpsichord with loud and soft'. After first inventing the instrument, he continued to
develop it for 20 years. The dynamics of a harpsichord are limited, using terraced dynamics, and
Cristofori realized, to vary dynamics, that a hammering action must be used in the construction of the
Fortepiano to hit the strings rather than pluck them. The Fortepiano was more similar to the
Harpsichord than the modern day piano, with lighter hammers, giving it a lighter feel and even had a
tinkling sound due to the strings being plucked. The range of the piano was also less than the modern
day piano, containing only 4 octaves rather than 7 and 1/3 octaves which could've possibly been
lengthened due to composers such as Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn composing their music with a
range wider than 4 octaves . Due to the complexity of the construction, the Fortepiano was initially
very expensive and was an instrument for the rich and royalty. Although the Fortepiano was first
invented in 1700, it did not become popular till 60 years later, in 1760 when music for the fortepiano
was first published. After the Fortepiano was introduced to Germany, by Gottfried Silbermann, the
Viennese added their own method of construction to the Fortepiano, using a much simpler method
than Cristofori. A student of Silbermann, Johann Andreas Stein, constructed the instrument
differently, with a noticeable change in the hammers, creating a different tone and sound to the
Fortepiano. Mozart, praised Stein's instruments, though unfortunately, never get the chance to own
one. The introduction of the Fortepiano allowed composers to expand their range in one particular
musical area - Dynamics. Although it had less sustain to the note, the Fortepiano could play different
volumes of the note, depending on the performer's touch, likewise to the modern piano. The change in
dynamics also brought more interest for the performer. It also allowed them to play much faster, due
to the light touch, and how shallow the key dip was which naturally allowed composers to compose
works at a higher tempo, or using faster notes. Scales and Arpeggios at rapid tempos could be
performed on the Fortepiano.