Electronic Piano Keyboard

Forerunner of the Electronic Piano Keyboard

What we know as the modern piano today…was first created by a man named Bartolomeo Cristofori  of Padua, Italy. (1655-1731)  He was one of the most talented harpsichord makers of his time and was an expert in all of the stringed and keyboard instruments of the time.
History indicates that Bartolomeo had invented a piano between the years of 1698 and 1700.  (There are still three Cristofori pianos that are still in existence that date back to the 1720′s.)  Then from about 1790 to 1860, during the time of Mozart… changes were made to the Piano that transformed this beautiful instrument into what is more closely considered the Piano of today.  These changes were due mostly to requests by musicians, composers, and pianists for a more powerful, sustained sound. with new high-quality steel brought on by the industrial revolution… Piano wire was born.

History tells us that in about 1777 The Broadwood Piano Company was the first major manufacturer of the Piano. John Broadwood,  Robert Stodart, and Americus Backers, came together and designed a piano not unlike the harpsichord but became the forerunner of the”Grand Piano”.  Broadwood continued to make improvements that led to shipping pianos to both Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven.
As more innovations to the Piano were made, the octave range of the piano was also increased from the five octaves in the time of Mozart… to the 7¼ or more octaves used in modern pianos today.

They built Pianos that contained a fifth octave during the 1790s,and then seven octaves by 1820. As early as the mid 1800′s Small studio upright acoustical pianos with only 65 keys were used by roving pianists. Known as “gig pianos” they were lightweight and could be easily packed around to performances by just two people.

Let’s back up a little

the Organ which was not a stringed instrument like the original Piano was (Still is in Acoustic Pianos), was first used by the ancient Romans in what was called a “water pipe organ”.  This ancient instrument was finally modernized as well, and became the forerunner of the Fender Rhodes (introduced in 1965), with is considered by most to be the first Electronic Piano Keyboard.

With all of this rich history it is no wonder that Casio, Yamaha, Roland, Korg, and others have continued to capture the greatest elements of Musical  Magic in Digital Synthesized Keyboards.  We encourage you to visit this site… to explore all the the latest Products and Reviews.

“Music, even in situations of the greatest horror, should never be painful to the ear but should flatter and charm it, and thereby always remain music.”

- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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