WHO PUT THE "P" IN THE PIANO

In the musical language, p or “p” stands for “piano” which means soft. This abbreviation has a much deeper meaning, not only for composers but also for the inventor of the world’s first piano.

One of the elements of musical expression is dynamics. Funnily enough, the dynamics (softness or loudness) of a musical piece weren't given much thought until the 18th Century, after which it spread like wildfire. To understand why, we need to back track to 17th century Italy.

Music In The Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages, attempts at stringed keyboard creations were high. By the time they reached the 17th Century, one of the stringed keyboards called the Harpsichord, was well into its mechanical and physical development (even looked like an early version of a piano). If we were to take a look inside the Harpsichord, we could see that the strings were mechanically plucked every time the player depressed or pushed the key down to play a note. Now, the Harpsichord was pretty loud for the time. It also had a softer setting, but couldn't produce any dynamics. One had to choose a setting- loud or soft, and stick with it.

Because of this, even composers like J S Bach never really paid any attention or gave instructions for the volume. A Royal Family, Cristofori, and the Piano Ferdinando de' Medici (1663 – 1713) was the eldest son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He is remembered today because of his decision in 1688 to hire Bartolomeo Cristofori, as a keeper of his large musical collection, one that exceeded 75 items. Bartolomeo Cristofori, being an expert Harpsichord maker from Italy, was supported by Prince Ferdinando with the money and time to pursue his passion as an inventor. In response to this, Cristofori came up with a series of new instruments. The third instrument was the now famous, piano in 1700.

Getting into the nitty-gritty of Cristofori’s legacy, it began by designing a stringed keyboard in which the notes are struck by a hammer each time the performer presses down with their fingers. The hammer was crucial to strike the string, contrary to the Harpsichord that plucked the string. This resulted in variations of volume. If the intensity of the key press was high, then greater was the force of the hammer striking the strings. So, here’s a single instrument, which permitted a range of dynamics, including soft, quiet playing and/or forte (f) which meant loud playing. The Italian inventor thoughtfully named the instrument un cimbalo di piano e forte ("a keyboard with soft and loud"), abbreviated as pianoforte, fortepiano, and later piano.

Cristofori's new instrument took 11 years after its invention to receive recognition from an Italian writer, Scipione Maffei, who wrote an enthusiastic article about it in 1711. By the late 18th to early 19th century, pianoforte or fortepiano was an instrument on which Haydn, Mozart, and the younger Beethoven wrote their music. Tchaikovsky marked a bassoon solo under the instruction of pppppp, in the first movement of his 6th symphony, so that the player won't miss the fact that it had to be played very very softly. Cristofori’s fortepiano was not only the start of dynamic range and control, it was also the role model for many approaches of piano-making and evolution, ending in the late 19th century with the Grand Piano.

So back to the golden question, who put the “p” in piano? The inventor or the composers who took a shot at expressing dynamic range in their pieces? Let’s just say both have to be given credit.