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Piano or Fortepiano?
Quite a lot of people are puzzled when they see ‘fortepiano’ when they expect ‘pianoforte’. So what’s the difference?
The words pianoforte and fortepiano were used interchangeably when, just over 300 years ago, the instrument was invented. The point is that this new, Italian instrument could play both forte (loudly) and piano (quietly) - unlike the harpsichord, on which you could play only at an even volume.
On the harpsichord, pressing a key throws up a small piece of wood to which a quill is he attached. The quill (from swan feathers for preference) plucks the string. There was no way of varying the speed at which it is thrown, so the volume is always the same.
On the new instrument, a projected hammer strikes the string to produce the sound and the force used on the key governs the speed of projection. The harder you hit, the louder the note. This made possible a new kind of shaded, expressive playing.
The earliest pianos, made in Italy about 1700, were generally called ‘cembalo con piano e forte’ (‘harpsichord with soft and loud’). Piano manufacture on a large scale got going after another 60 or 70 years. One prominent group of makers was in London, mainly of German-born craftsmen; they favoured the ‘square piano’, which fitted neatly into a drawing-room.
Pianos were also built the same shape as harpsichords, allowing for the longer bass strings needed for a concert instrument. Modern writers have adopted the term ‘fortepiano’ for it, simply to distinguish the older type of instrument from the modern one.
How does it differ from the modern piano? The biggest difference is that the frame is of wood, not steel. A steel frame can support far greater weight and string tension. So the strings on the early instrument are much less tense, resulting in less volume and resonance. The hammers have a leather-covered surface as opposed to the padded felt of the modern piano.
This means that the sound is different, with a sharper impact when the note is struck, and a quicker fade. The key action is lighter, demanding great delicacy of control and allowing for rapid repetition. There is a glitter to the sound that the modern piano lacks.
Comparisons, though, can be misleading. The modern instrument serves better for later music, of course. But the sound of the ‘fortepiano’ is what Mozart and Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert had in mind when they wrote their music, and only by listening to it can we fully understand what they were trying to say to us.
By Julie Sadie
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