piano1
/pɪˈanəʊ
/- They are regular pianos with real strings and keys but they are driven by digital pitch information from a computer.
- Stanley had a great love of music and played a baby grand piano.
Origin
Early 19th century: from Italian, abbreviation of pianoforte.
Before the mid 18th century the usual musical instrument in comfortable European households was the harpsichord. Its strings are plucked by quills, and the player has little or no control over the length of notes or volume. From the 18th century the pianoforte or fortepiano was developed, with strings struck by hammers, dampers to stop vibration when the keys are released and pedals to regulate the length and volume of notes. The names came from Italian piano ‘soft’ and forte ‘loud’, referring to the innovation of volume control. Soon the shortened form piano appeared, and nowadays pianoforte is a rather formal term for a piano, whereas fortepiano tends to refer to early forms of the instrument. The harpsichord (early 17th century) got its name from Late Latin harpa ‘harp’ and chorda ‘string’.
Rhymes
piano2
/ˈpjɑːnəʊ/
- Dynamics tend to be confined between forte and piano.
- The sound climbs to a level it maintains until the final moment when subito, or sudden piano, returns.
- Notice the sudden piano after the crescendo.
- Her sudden piano followed by an immediate crescendo (surely a party piece!) was one of several delights delivered with real personality.
Origin
Italian, literally 'soft'.