“Telling a painter to paint nature as it is is like telling a virtuoso that he can sit at the piano” Stéphane Mallarmé If you think of a musical instrument, it is more than likely that the piano is your first choice. Known as the king of instruments, the piano has a structure, sound and presence that have made it the essence of classical music and almost any musical style.
In fact, it is also the protagonist of other musical genres, from jazz to rock, and we have even seen it as the main theme of many film hits such as the film The Piano or more recently in La la land. In addition, it plays a leading role in any soundtrack worth its salt.
From Kaunus, today we want to share 10 interesting facts that we found interesting about this extraordinary instrument.

10 interesting facts about pianos

1. Its origin dates back to the 18th century. In 1707, Bartolomeo Cristofori, who worked for the Medicis, introduced to the world what he called the Piano et forte, an instrument that, unlike harpsichords and clavichords, could be played both softly and loudly. Of all the pianos he made, only 3 exist today.
2. The term piano is based on its original Italian name Pianoforte, which means soft.
3. The piano is the only instrument whose tonal range covers all the instruments of a classical orchestra.
4. Pianos have been representative instruments of periods such as musical romanticism, mainly during the 18th and 19th centuries.
5. It can be said that the most important composers of works for piano are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Frédéric Chopin.
6. The most prestigious piano brands worldwide include manufacturers such as Bösendorfer, Fazioli, Steinway & Sons, Pleyel, Steingraeber and Söhne, C. Bechstein, Blüthner, Feurich, Schimmel, Petrof, Shigeru Kawai, Sauter, Yamaha.
7. Modern pianos have 88 keys (36 black and 52 white), but most pianos built between the late 19th century and the first decade of the 20th century had 85 notes. Originally, the white keys were made of ivory and the black keys were made of ebony.
8. One of the predecessors of the piano as a musical instrument is the zither, which originated in Africa and Asia.
9. The first piano concerto was performed by Henry Walsh in Dublin, Ireland in 1762.
10. The Steinway D-274 is generally described as the first choice of concert pianists.

Did you find these 10 interesting facts about the piano interesting? Without a doubt, it is a wonderful instrument with a great history from its origins to the present day. Its musicality makes it unique and that is why it is one of the most admired musical instruments.