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 B# FUN FACTS The first true piano was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731). There is evidence that he was already working on pianos as early as 1698. The first pianos were called pianofortes because unlike the harpsichord, they could play 'piano' and 'forte'. The sound of the 1720 Cristofori pianos differed considerably from the modern grand piano. The thinner strings and harder hammers gave them a timbre closer to a harpsichord than a modern Steinway. There are three surviving Cristofori pianos today which are
available to the public, all dating from the 1720s: |