Innovations and Evolutions: The story of the piano and its influence on music

     If you were to blindly pick any song, you would likely find a song with a piano in it. The modern piano has greatly influenced music since its invention in the 18th century. Invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700, the modern piano is a cross between the harpsichord and the clavichord. Combining the loud and jumpy aspects of the harpsichord and the soft and mellow aspects of the clavichord created a very versatile and widely used instrument in music. The first piano did, however, still have some differences from the modern piano. It sounded more like a harpsichord and only had 49 keys, almost half the 88 keys the modern piano has.

    Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano by replacing the plucking mechanism in the harpsichord with a hammer mechanism. While this change may have seemed small, it allowed for one of the most essential piano features, which the harpsichord did have, the precise control over the volume and hardness of the instrument. This change allowed for this one instrument to have more than one feature in a song, compounding the complexity of the music the piano was in.

    The first known composition written specifically for the piano was Sonata No. 6 by Lodovico Giustini, written in 1732, about 30 years after Cristofori invented the instrument. While Sonata No. 6 shares similarities with other songs of its time, it also captures the essence pianos have in all music. Thanks to the 49 keys on the early piano, Giustini could create the illusion of multiple instruments playing together, layering complex harmonies and melodies in a way that was groundbreaking at the time. The piece subtly shows the piano’s ability to combine different dynamics, offering a look into what the instrument would become.

    Sonata No. 6 represents the beginning of piano composition, a time when the piano was still finding its voice. Even though it was written on an instrument that sounded more like a harpsichord than a modern piano, Giustini’s work laid the groundwork for future composers who would fully explore the piano's dynamic and expressive range.

    Modern music encounters a different use of the piano with songs like Jolt by Yvette Young. Jolt makes full use of the modern piano’s enlarged range and technical capabilities. With 88 keys, the piano in Jolt is able to create a fast-paced, jumpy, and upbeat melody filled with complexity and rhythmic energy. Young blends classical piano techniques with elements of progressive rock, using intricate fingerstyle techniques and rapid shifts in dynamics that fully showcase the piano’s modern versatility.

    Where Sonata No. 6 demonstrated the early piano's capacity for subtle shifts in volume and tone, Jolt takes this one step further by exploiting the full dynamic range of the modern instrument. Young’s playing style pushes the boundaries of traditional piano performance with explosive techniques such as string plucking, rapid arpeggios, and unconventional use of the sustain pedal. These techniques show how far the piano and its pianists have come since its invention.

   The evolution of the piano from its invention to today is incredible. From the quiet, restrained dynamics of Giustini’s Sonata No. 6 to the explosive energy of Yvette Young’s Jolt, the piano has developed into one of the most versatile and expressive instruments in music. Thanks to innovations like Cristofori’s hammer mechanism and the subsequent expansion of the keyboard range, the piano has shaped the course of Western music. What started as a combination of the harpsichord and the clavichord has evolved into an instrument able to create both classical and modern works of art.

Citations

Powers, Wendy. “The Piano: The Pianofortes of Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731): Essay: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 1 Jan. 2003, www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/cris/hd_cris.htm. 

“Piano Musical Instrument.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 9 Oct. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Ludwig-van-Beethoven/Early-influences.

Noah. “How Many Keys Are on a Piano?” Markson Pianos, 3 Apr. 2024, www.marksonpianos.com/blog/how-many-keys-are-on-a-piano/#:~:text=In%201700%2C%20Italian%20instrument%20maker,the%20standard%20we%20know%20today.