Before exploring the finer points of this title, let’s pause to remember where the piano originated from. Born on the 4th May 1655, Bartolomeo Cristofori is credited with being the inventor of the pianoforte.
He became increasingly frustrated by the expressive limitations of keyboards like the virginal, the spinet and the harpsichord and decided to do something about it. Cristofori set the manufacturing and design of pianos into action, devoting a significant portion of his life to the creation of these early instruments.
Cristofori’s instruments closely resembled the harpsichord with one distinct difference. Instead of the strings being plucked Cristofori chose to use a rudimentary hammer system.
This small but vital alteration to the instrument created all manner of additional possibilities including greater expression and control by the performer. It took some time to catch the interest of composers and performers but towards the end of his life, Cristofori succeeded in creating a wooden-framed, hammer-action piano.
The wooden frame construction of the early pianos presented some problems. Even though wood can be incredibly strong and resilient, it could not hold the string tension required to produce a bigger sound. Coupled with the increasing popularity of the piano towards the start of the 19th Century, manufacturing and design of the piano began to stride forward.
The Historical Development of Piano
Late 18th and Early 19th Centuries
As early as 1775 saw the manufacturing of pianos in America. There were major changes to the design of the hammers and the action, improving the playing experience and the sound of the instrument. Across Europe advances in piano design and manufacturing were taking place.
In Paris, France Jean-Henry Pape (1789-1875), who secured work with Ignace Joseph Pleyel, worked extensively on the improvement of the piano. He dedicated nearly forty years of his life to piano manufacturing building on the immense successes of English piano maker John Broadwood.
Pape’s innovations centred on the square piano and the grand piano where he developed a remarkable action that allowed hammers to raise swiftly without compromising the touch of the instrument.
For this he used coiled springs, avoiding the levers with counterweights formula that had previously been employed. Pape was a gifted mechanic with astonishing foresight who patented 137 improvements to the piano in his lifetime.
By 1795, John Broadwood, a Scott making pianos in England, ceased the manufacturing of his successful harpsichords in 1793 to concentrate solely on piano manufacturing.
Broadwood was an intensely serious piano creator who commissioned scientific research (1788) into improving the instrument giving rise to the divided bridge on the grand pianos and making huge enhancements to the bass range of the piano.
Broadwood is credited with inventing the brass under-damper that stabilised the earlier models of the square piano. He also created the English double action.
Advances in piano manufacturing were spurred on by the growing demand in America and Europe. Somewhere in the region, 1000 patents were issued in both the USA and Europe between 1825 and 1851, giving you an idea of just how fast things were developing.
In 1842, another English manufacturer, Robert Wornum, made some ground-breaking changes to the building of his upright pianos. His tape-check action became the kind of action we still see in modern instruments.
The 19th and 20th Centuries
Although these upgrades to pianos were major, there were outstanding issues yet to be solved. Whilst early instruments circulated amongst the aristocracy, used for small audiences in relatively modest surroundings, by the mid-19th century the piano had found its place in the comfortable homes of the more everyday folk.
Also, performance was taking place in ever larger concert halls and the instrument could not produce the level of sound required. Equally, the 6-and-a-half octave range was limiting and overdue for change.
It was the one-piece cast-iron frame, first successfully engineered by Jonas Chickering, from Boston, USA in 1843. This was a game changer and meant that the levels of string tension could significantly increase.
More tension equals a larger sound and a greater sustain; both vital for the expectations of the day. Cross-stringing created by weaving the bass strings over the treble became commonplace with Steinway & Sons leading the charge in 1870.
Another crucial development was invented by Pierre Erard in 1821. This was something called the double-escapement action. What this clever design achieved was allowing pianists to play rapid passages, trills and other ornaments cleanly due to the sensitive response of the action.
During the lifetime of composer/pianists such as Chopin and Liszt, the design and manufacturing of pianos was firmly established. The essentials were all in place with a solid iron frame and bracing, full eighty-eight note keyboards, pedals and stunning casework.
Not everyone who wants to have a piano desires to be able to play it. The player-piano became a highly sort after instrument in the early twentieth century. These delightful mechanical variations on the standard piano gave people the opportunity to hear all manner of piano music simply by operating the foot pedals.
Although the instruments functioned as pianos too. It was huge fun to sit at the instrument, work the pedals and hear rags, jazz, or music from the classical masters flow out of the piano without any practice required. By the close of the 1920s, some two-million player pianos were sold.
The mass manufacturing of pianos meant that competition between makers heightened each seeking to establish themselves in an increasingly flooded market. It led to the creation of distinct brands that made pianos with unique timbres and touches.
The twentieth century saw manufacturers like Yamaha, Broadwood, Blüthner, Steinway and Bechstein become leaders in their field. Their designs were individual and their manufacturing methods were bespoke.
The Craftsmanship Behind Modern Pianos
The processes involved in creating a piano currently are still broadly based on the practices that were embedded in the 19th century. The five key stages of manufacturing are as follows (with a grand piano).
- Bending the Rim of the Case
- Manufacturing Structural components
- Making the Soundboard
- Stringing the Piano and Tuning
- Constructing the Action of the Keyboard
Each of these intricate processes is undertaken in various ways using methods that are specialised to a particular manufacturer. Understandably, these can remain quite secretive given the market competition.
Different types of wood are used for casings and soundboards, the steel of the strings can be sourced from different manufacturers that can determine the individual sound of the piano. Equally, the creation of the action of each instrument is also a process that is personal to that manufacturer.
From Cristofori’s Invention to Modern Hybrid Instruments
From the initial stroke of genius by Cristofori has come the modern piano in all its forms. Improvements continue to be made with science playing an ever more central role in this development. Pianos have evolved considerably to include hybrid instruments that have all the capabilities of acoustic instruments.
These incredible pianos are like the natural step up from the player pianos of yesteryear with significant differences. They have MIDI and Bluetooth capacity as well as often an onboard computer that offers lessons, accompaniment and a host of other amazing options. Where next?