Internet Antique Gazette » pianos & seats http://www.internetantiquegazette.com Reference information on antiques & fine art topics. Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:03:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 Pianos – History http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/music/1998_pianos_history/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/music/1998_pianos_history/#comments Mon, 16 May 2011 16:46:38 +0000 hcst http://1998-guid The modern piano was invented circa 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua and Florence, Italy (1655 to 1731). A harpsichord maker, Cristofori replaced the string-plucking mechanism of his harpsichord with hammers, which allowed the player to adjust its volume by applying different degrees of force to the keys. He called his invention, ravicembalo col piano e forte “the harpsichord that plays soft and loud.” As the instrument grew more popular, the name was [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Pianos

The modern piano was invented circa 1709 by Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua and Florence, Italy (1655 to 1731). A harpsichord maker, Cristofori replaced the string-plucking mechanism of his harpsichord with hammers, which allowed the player to adjust its volume by applying different degrees of force to the keys. He called his invention, ravicembalo col piano e forte “the harpsichord that plays soft and loud.” As the instrument grew more popular, the name was shortened to “soft-loud” and finally to “soft.” In Italian, the word for “soft” is “piano.” At least two of Cristofori’s pianos are known to survive today.

]]> http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/music/1998_pianos_history/feed/ 0 Steinway Pianos http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/music/1225_steinway_pianos/ http://www.internetantiquegazette.com/music/1225_steinway_pianos/#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 13:51:01 +0000 hcst http://1225-guid Steinway & Sons was founded on March 5, 1853, by the German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway and his sons in New York City, the center of the piano-making industry.

Henry, a master cabinetmaker, built his first piano in the kitchen of his Seesen, Germany, home. Known as the “kitchen” piano, this instrument was exhibited for many years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and can now be seen at the factory’s gallery [...] Click here to continue reading.]]> Steinway Pianos

Steinway & Sons was founded on March 5, 1853, by the German immigrant Henry Engelhard Steinway and his sons in New York City, the center of the piano-making industry.

Henry, a master cabinetmaker, built his first piano in the kitchen of his Seesen, Germany, home. Known as the “kitchen” piano, this instrument was exhibited for many years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and can now be seen at the factory’s gallery in Astoria, New York.

Over the next forty years the Steinway family developed the modern piano and set the quality standard for these instruments worldwide. Over 120 patented innovations and 1,000 design and construction details are present in the modern Steinway. Some of the most important and historic of these innovations include the combination of a full cast-iron plate with over-stringing. The cast-iron plate replaced reinforced wood construction and allowed for much higher string tension, which, coupled with the Steinway over-strung scale, permits longer bass strings for more volume and better soundboard resonance. This “Steinway System” delivers a fuller, richer sound and sets the standard to which all contemporary pianos are built.

Since the first “kitchen” piano, more than 563,000 Steinway pianos have been produced.

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