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The development of the piano from the harpsichord and clavichord over the last 500 years is fascinating. These are some photographs that I have taken of beautiful keyboard instruments (and actions) housed at Steinway Hall in New York, the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments in New Haven CT, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA) in New York, Piano Technicians Guild (PTG) headquarters in Kansas City, the Period Piano Center (PPC) in Redlands CA, and Ellis Pianos in Birmingham AL. The piano was invented by Christofori around 1700. There are only three of his "fortepiano" instruments still in existence. They are remarkably similar in construction to the harpsichord, and quite different from the modern piano as exemplified by the Steinway D or the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand. Note the Bosendorfer Imperial grand range extends 8 full octaves from C0 to C8 with 97 keys, nine more in the bass (all black) compared to the typical 88 keys of a modern piano such as the Steinway D, the piano used on nearly every concert stage today. (Click on a photograph to enlarge, use the arrows on the enlargement to move through the series.)
Steinway Hall New York
Yale Collection
Cristofori Fortepiano 1720 - MMA
Cristofori Fortepiano 1720 - MMA
Cristofori Fortepiano 1720 - MMA
Cristofori Fortepiano 1720 - MMA
Cristofori Fortepiano 1720 - MMA
Cristofori Fortepiano action 1722 - PTG
Broadwood piano action 1777 - PTG
Stein piano action 1779 - PTG
Schwander piano action - PTG
Bosendorfer piano action - PTG
German Clavichord 1784 - Yale
German Clavichord 1784 - Yale
Chickering Clavichord 1906 - Yale
Chickering Clavichord 1906 - Yale
Chickering Clavidhord 1906 - Yale
Ruckers Harpsichord 1640 - Yale
Ruckers Harpsichord 1640 - Yale
Ruckers Harpsichord 1640 - Yale
Ruckers Harpsichord 1640 - Yale
Ruckers Harpsichord 1640 - Yale
Taskin Harpsicord 1770 - Yale
Haas Harpsichord 1760 - Yale
Haas Harpsichord 1760 - Yale
Haas Harpsichord 1760 - Yale
Haas Harpsichord 1760 - Yale
Broadwood Piano 1813 - PPC
Broadwood Piano 1813 - PPC
Broadwood Piano 1813 - PPC
Broadwood Piano 1813 - PPC
Bosendorfer 9'6" Imperial Grand - Ellis Piano
Bosendorfer Imperial Grand - 8 octaves - Ellis Piano
Bosendorfer Imperial Grand - Ellis Piano
Steinway D - Ellis Piano
Steinway D - Elllis Piano