Around 1700, Bartolomeo Cristofori, harpsichord maker to the Medici, created a keyboard instrument that could play loud and soft, according to the strength with which the keys were pressed. From this simple but revolutionary idea came an instrument of unprecedented expressive power and versatility – the piano. In the centuries that followed, the piano shaped the sound of classical music, revolutionised composition, and became a cornerstone of both concert halls and domestic music making.
In this course we trace the evolution of the piano and its repertoire from those early beginnings - through the age of the fortepiano, and the music of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven, to the developments in the early nineteenth century instruments that enabled the emergence of virtuosi such as Franz Liszt and Fryderyk Chopin. We will witness how technology and design continually pushed boundaries in the golden age of piano building, later in the nineteenth century, when names like Steinway, Bösendorfer, Blüthner and Bechstein emerged.
The course culminates with the modern piano makers, as they bring science and precision engineering together with traditional craftsmanship.