Story: Very Brief History of Keyboard Instruments

Throughout human history, music has been an integral part of every civilization. From singing and drumming to crafting early flutes, humanity's musical journey spans millennia. But when did we first develop a keyboard instrument? Surely, inventing such a complex device must have been a formidable challenge - right?

The Hydraulis: Possibly The First Keyboard Instrument

The earliest known keyboard instrument is the hydraulis, or water organ, invented in Ancient Greece in the 3rd century BCE. Ingeniously utilizing water pressure to push air into pipes, it is considered the precursor to the modern pipe organ. The Romans adopted this instrument, with Emperor Nero famously favoring it. (As a side note, during my undergraduate studies in Ancient and Medieval History, I attempted to reconstruct this instrument for a project—but, alas, it didn't succeed….Very hard!)

The Clavichord and Harpsichord: Precursors to the Piano

By the 9th century, pipe organs had become popular in European cathedrals, producing sound by directing air through pipes via bellows (usually more than 2 bellows so that we can make sound continuously). The clavichord, developed in the 14th century, was the first keyboard instrument to produce sound by ‘striking’ strings by a tiny metal piece, similar to the head of flat screw driver. Its mechanism of making sound by ‘strking’ strings is the same as piano, however it lacked volume and was primarily used for practice.

The harpsichord (although there are differences in each instrument, I categorise other names: Cembalo, Clavecin and Verginal, Spinet as Harpsichord in this article), which ‘plucks’ strings to makesound when keys are pressed, gained popularity in the 16th century. While it offered louder sound than the clavichord, it lacked dynamic expression, as it couldn't vary volume based on touch.

The Birth of the Piano: Cristofori's Innovation

The limitations of previous instruments led to the invention of the piano in the early 18th century. Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731), an Italin musical instrument maker, working for Medici family in Florence is thught to be the inventor of the mighty Piano in the early 1700s (one record I have found mentioned the year 1720). He invented mechanism called ‘escapement’ enabling the hammer to fall away from the string immediately after striking it, preventing dampening and allowing for rapid repetition of notes. Revolutuonary ‘escapement’ was something predesessors of the piano didn’t have, and which enables piano to make more dynamics in sound and, most importantly, play with more sensitive expressions.

The Piano's Evolution and Standardization

Early pianos had fewer than 88 keys due to technological constraints and the immense tension required to hold the strings. Cristofori's first pianos had only 54 keys, apprently. Over time, advancements in materials and construction techniques allowed for the expansion to the modern 88-key standard. In the late 19th century, Steinway & Sons, a renowned German-American piano manufacturer, produced the first 88-key piano, setting the global standard.

Interestingly, Bösendorfer, another esteemed German manufacturer now owned by Yamaha, produces pianos with 97 (or more) keys! These additional keys in the base are not written in a music, however these base strings will resonate with other strings which are played, and this gives deeper base effect.

While the piano is often regarded as a perfected instrument, it continues to evolve. For example, modern innovations incorporate new materials and technologies, leading to the development of hybrid pianos that blend traditional acoustic elements with digital advancements, which may be more suitable for modern-day life.

If you want to knpow more what type of piano suites you the most, see the ‘What Piano?’ page.