The piano is thought to have been invented in the early 1700s\u00a0by an\u00a0Italian craftsman and maker of musical instruments, Bartolomeo Cristofori. The instrument was created for his patron Ferdinando de Medici, Grand Prince of Florence. The first written evidence for\u00a0this instrument referred to an “Arpicamalo” – literally harp-harpsichord. This appears to be what Cristofori wanted it\u00a0to be called but we get the word piano from the Italian words “piano” and “forte”, which mean “soft” and “loud”. This refers to the piano’s ability to\u00a0express control over volume and sustain, but also create a sufficiently loud sound to be heard in large performances.<\/p>\n
In the 18th century, pianos were extremely expensive instruments and remained beyond the financial reach of most families until the early 19th century. Therefore pianos became symbols of luxury\u00a0as well as culture.<\/p>\n
By association then, the three people in this painting are wealthy and cultured. Their close poses and similarly relaxed expressions also suggests harmonious relationships, further emphasised by the presence of the piano and sheet music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The piano is thought to have been invented in the early 1700s\u00a0by an\u00a0Italian craftsman and maker of musical instruments, Bartolomeo Cristofori. The instrument was created for his patron Ferdinando de Medici, Grand Prince of Florence. The first written evidence for\u00a0this instrument referred to an “Arpicamalo” – literally harp-harpsichord. This appears to be what Cristofori wanted … Continue reading A Musical Party<\/span>