The Cambridge Companion to the Piano

It is possible to trace a more or less continuous line of development of the pianoforte from Cristofori who, at the very end of the seventeenth century, devised a keyboard instrument where notes were produced by hammers striking the strings instead of the plucking action of the harpsichord. The first part of this compilation traces the history of pianos since then, dealing with the mechanics (well illustrated with diagrams and photos) and with significant performers during the past 300 years.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries several manufacturers in various parts of Europe, principally Austria, France and England, made markedly...