Bartolomeo Cristofori

Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco (May 4, 1655 - January 27, 1732) was an Italian maker of musical instruments, generally regarded as the inventor of the piano.

Cristofori's pianos

The total number of pianos built by Cristofori is unknown. Only three survive today, all dating from the 1720's.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• A 1720 instrument is located in the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
• A 1722 instrument is in the Museo Nazionale degli Strumenti Musicali in Rome.
• A 1726 instrument is in the Musikinstrumenten-Museum of Leipzig University.

Design

Cristofori's 1726 design boasted almost all of the features of the modern instrument, including the fast hammer action and the escapement and check. However, his piano lacked the addition of a metal frame, which meant that it could not produce an especially loud tone. This continued to be the rule for pianos until around 1820, when iron bracing was first introduced. Here are some further design details of Cristofori's instruments:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hammers: The hammer heads in Cristofori's mature pianos are made of paper, curled into a circular coil and secured with glue. This design produces the slight softness obtained in later 18th century pianos by covering wooden hammers with leather, and in mid-19th-century (and later instruments) by making the hammers of compressed felt. In all cases, the purpose is to emphasize the lower harmonics of the string by maintaining a broad area of contact.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Frame: Cristofori's pianos use an internal frame member (bentside) to support the soundboard; in other words, the structural member attaching the right side of the soundboard is distinct from the external case that bears the tension of the strings. This system was also applied by Cristofori to harpsichords. The use of a separate support for the soundboard reflects Cristofori's belief that the soundboard should not be subjected to compression from string tension. This may improve the sound, and also avoids the peril of warping--as harpsichord makers Kerstin Schwarz and Tony Chinnery point out http://www.tony-chinnery.com/Cristofori%20spinet%20article.doc, , a severely warped soundboard threatens a structural catastrophe, namely contact between strings and soundboard. Cristofori's principle certainly is applied to modern pianos, where the now-enormous string tension (up to 20 tons) is borne by a separate iron frame (the "plate").

Related Topics:
Kerstin Schwarz - Tony Chinnery

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Inverted wrest plank: On two of his surviving instruments, Cristofori employed a very unusual arrangement of the tuning pins: they are inserted all the way through their supporting wrest plank. Thus, the tuning hammer is used on the top side of the wrest plank, but the strings are wrapped around the pins on the bottom side. This made it harder to replace broken strings, but it provided two compensating advantages. With the nut (front bridge) inverted as well, the blows of the hammers, coming from below, would seat the strings firmly into place, rather than threatening to displace them. The inverted wrestplank also placed the strings lower in the instrument, permitting smaller and lighter hammers, hence a lighter and more responsive touch. However, subsequent pianos have not followed this aspect of Cristofori's design.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tonal quality

Of all historical pianos, Cristofori's sound the most like harpsichords--in particular, more like harpsichords than do the Viennese-style early pianos of the later 18th century, which are probably the most familiar to modern listeners. To hear the sound of Cristofori instruments (both restored and replicated), consult the external links given below.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~