Social History Of Pianos

Piano is a musical instrument which produces sound by striking steel strings with fabric hammers. The word piano is derived from the Italian name pianoforte. Piano is an instrument for private household ownership and among the upper class. Piano is widely used in western music for solo performances and is more famous and familiar instruments for its versatility and ubiquity. Piano stands first for its important among musical instruments, for its wide spread social influence. During the 18th and the 19th century it was a tradition that ability to play the piano made young women more marriageable. As a result the music masters used to teach girls rather than the boys.

Early Years

At the time of its invention around 1700 the piano was a speculative invention produced by Bartolomeo Cristofori for his wealthy boss Ferdinando de Medici who was the grand prince of Florence. At that period piano was a very expensive item and was literally owned by the royals. Even later during 18th century pianos were beyond the reach of most of the families as it was generally the property of the higher society. The piano was being invented at the end of the 17th century and later became wide spread in western society by the end of the 18th century.

The Spread Of Piano

During the 19th and 20th centuries as the middle class increased in both numbers and prosperity the domestic importance of piano also increased. As a result more and more families became able to afford pianos and also take piano instructions. Thus the piano became more common in public institutions, such as schools, hotels and public houses. As elements of the western middle class lifestyle gradually spread to other nations, the piano became common in these nations as well. To know more about the rise of the piano among the middle class it is helpful to remember that the mechanical and the electronic reproduction, music was infact performed on daily basis by ordinary people. As the rising prosperity many families could now afford pianos and music adapted their home grown musical abilities and therefore piano became a major source of music in the home for every one. Now adays pianos are being bought are of higher quality and more expensive than those of several years ago. Today most parents think that piano lessons teach their children concentration and self-discipline.