Iris Chang

     The invention of the piano was a turning point in history. The piano changed the face of Europe’s music. Over the past 300 years, if there were not the piano, great composers didn’t wrote well-known piano works.

Keyboard instruments have existed since the middle ages. The earliest pianos were designed in the tradition of harpsichords and clavichord. During the baroque period, keyboard instruments were used to accompany singers or other instruments. However, the harpsichord and the clavichord are very quiet instruments, and are not useful for performance in large room. Around the turn of 18^th century, composers and musicians need a keyboard with a large dynamic range that could play very loud or very soft, and that could change the dynamics smoothly and subtly. After that we named the keyboard instrument “pianoforte,” (soft-loud).

In the classical period, the piano became very popular as both a household and concert instrument. Some famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven do special works for the piano. They could feature the piano as a solo instrument with a symphony orchestra. The pianos of the 19^th century did have a common positive factor. They were louder, more expressive and responsive to the touch than any other instrument of the era. After 19^th century the specialist in teaching was more common. In 20^th century, some compositions require players to use new and complex techniques such as pedaling (half or quarter), and various methods of producing tones by reaching inside or underneath the piano to pluck or strike the strings.

Today, people often ask which the best piano. History tells us that it depends on which type of music I am playing. Piano playing technique has changed through the years with changes in piano types and musical styles. Piano players have to appropriately adjust the factors of touch, fingering, phrasing, and interpretation when playing music of 18^th, 19^th, and 20^th Centuries on the modern piano. In addition, the pianists should use relaxant techniques in controlling the physical motions instead of harming their bodies. Therefore, the piano performance for me is the specialized field worthy to study.