Dear Students,



Wrap-Up

Dear Students,

Thank you all, very much, for the reports that you submitted pertaining to the development, or evolution, of the piano, the instrument we love (usually). When you all started your piano classes, one of the things that everyone did in their first lesson was to gently open the lid on top of the piano, and peer into the inner workings of this majestic instrument. We saw taut strings beautifully lined up, and the hammers with their felt covering, anxious to strike a string. When we experimented, and gingerly pressed a key, we experienced both the sound and the sight that this action caused. Glorious sound was emitted, and we gratefully took our first steps on our musical journey!

By reading Isaac’s report on the Dulcimer, it is easy to see the beginning of the piano’s structure from this instrument. Isaac and his Mother listened, (via Internet), to the Dulcimer being played, and mentioned that it sounds as lovely as Celtic music -- what we would perceive to be traditional Irish music. The Dulcimer is an open instrument that is played by hitting the strings with a small hammer.

We read in Davin’s report that the Clavichord was invented over 500 years ago! The Clavichord was ideal for practice because it was quiet and you could hear the different dynamics being played. It was played with keys similar to a piano, however on the Clavichord, the hammers went up, whereas on our pianos, the hammers go down.

The 15th century saw the Virginal come into being, with it’s shape being similar to the Clavichord. As Prisca tells us, the Virginal has 32 courses of strings and is played like a piano. The Virginal’s range was four octaves and it was louder than the Clavichord, but not as responsive in the keys.

Austin’s report on the Spinet tells us that it’s strings are arranged in pairs, with each pair being 4 mm apart, and that it is a smaller type of Harpsichord. The Spinet also resembles the Virginal in the picking mechanism, (each key causes a string to be plucked by a quill), though unlike the Virginal, it’s strings are diagonal as opposed to vertical.

Vanessa tells us in her report that the Harpsichord was developed in the early 1400’s. It was also the most widely used instrument of it’s day, being enjoyed by amateurs and professionals alike. It was louder that all of the instruments noted above. Did you know that Bach was the most famous composer to use the Harpsichord? Infact, he produced some of his greatest works on this beautiful instrument. Please note too that the key colours are similar to the pianos, that is, the small ones are black in colour, while the larger ones are white in colour. Did you happen to notice that these colours are actually reversed on the Clavichord and Virginal?

In Bret’s report on the Cristofori Pianoforte, we learn that in Bartolomeo’s Pianos there are two strings per note, and that the hammer heads are made of paper! It would be fascinating to listen to this lovely instrument being played.

Rylan’s informative report on the Late 18th Century Piano brings us to the point where the piano was becoming very popular, and this is the piano of Beethoven’s time! We will read in Jenna’s report on the 19th Century Piano that some of the changes to the piano’s structure included felt hammers being invented, and an increase in the number of octaves on some pianos. Other developments during the 19th century were subtle improvements in volume and responsiveness. Like the Late 18th Century Piano, the action of the Late 19th Century Piano was further developed to increase the speed at which the piano could be played.

Jensen brings us to the current era of the piano’s development, the Modern Piano, where we see a logical progression and perfection of all keyboard instruments that have gone before it. The addition of the sostenuto pedal (middle one) and increases in responsiveness have improved the piano even further. We truly are fortunate to have such a lovely instrument in our lives.

Once again, thank you all for the time that you have taken to complete this project. While it is true that we meet weekly for piano, theory lessons, I thought that this activity would be something that all of my students would enjoy participating in, whether they were “new” to piano or whether we have been together for years. The reason behind it was to gather knowledge and share it with the purpose of building a sense of community between, and for, all of my students.

Finally, did want to share the names of some of my “favourite” piano players, and incomplete listing in no particular order: Alicia Keyes, Harry Connick Jr., Jerry Lee Lewis, and Sarah McLachlan, to name only a few talented people.

Do YOU also have a list of “favourite” pianists/musicians? I would love to hear about them!

Submitted by: your piano, theory teacher, Leanne

PS: Should we do other assignments similar to this one, that is, everyone contributes something to make a whole? Please let me know your thoughts, and thank you!

Please be advised that all of the extra materials and information that I provide to the Students of my Piano Studio is the property of Leanne Reiman’s Piano Studio and cannot be duplicated in any form.

Table of Contents

Dulcimer Isaac

Clavichord Davin

Virginal Prisca

Spinet [pic] Austin

Harpsichord [pic] Vanessa

Cristofori Pianoforte Bret

Late 18th Century Piano Rylan

Late 19th Century Piano Jenna

Modern Piano Jensen

Wrap-up Miss Reiman

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