International holidays - Piano Day

The piano as a stringed percussion keyboard instrument has been widely known over the past 300 years The predecessors of the piano are cymbals, harpsichords and clavichords The range of a modern piano is 7 and 1/3 octaves, that is, 88 keys It is on this date from the beginning of the calendar year that the holiday established in honor of the musical instrument falls Piano Day, the modern equivalent of which is electronic pianos and synthesizers, is celebrated annually on March 29 The inventor of pianoforte (from Italian piano - “quiet”, forte - “loud”) is considered to be the Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731) The master initially worked on creating a mechanism in the form of hammers striking the strings of a harpsichord In 1709, he invented a model that could produce both soft and loud musical sounds Over time, Cristofori's piano was improved: the thickness of the strings and their arrangement changed, the instrument acquired a cast-iron frame and pedals The design of the instrument was also modernized - a wing appeared in the body of some models Up to 70% of piano parts are made of wood, the remaining 30% are made of copper, cast iron and felt For a long time, craftsmen made white keys from ivory, but after the invention of plastic, they began to use cheaper and more accessible material However, in English for a long time the expression tickle the ivories was used to refer to playing the piano The phrase literally translates as “tickle the ivory keys” Did you know that? The fundamental difference between a compact piano and a bulky grand piano is the arrangement of the strings In a piano they are in a vertical position, in a grand piano, which also has 3 pedals instead of 2, in a horizontal position A modern piano has 88 keys (36 black and 52 white) and pedals that operate 224 strings using felt hammers Soundboards enhance and simulate the sound of a musical instrument Despite the fact that the piano was created during the popularity of classical music, it became a favorite instrument of jazz performers: Duke Ellington, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles and Lenny Tristano Did you know that? In Russia, piano production began in St Petersburg in the 18th century Before this, musicians played instruments from European manufacturers In 1917, more than 1,000 workshops operated in Russia; the most famous brands were J Becker, KM Schroeder, Diederichs and Mühlbach In honor of Piano Day, we remember not only the history of the piano, but also famous musicians who played the piano Outstanding pianists who performed their own and others’ classical works are VA Mozart, LV Beethoven, FP Schubert, F Chopin, F Mendelssohn, R Schumann, F Liszt Among Russian musicians, the names of L Oborin, Sh Cherkassky, S Rachmaninov, S Richter, E Gilels and others are widely known On March 29, in honor of Piano Day, works by these and other composers are performed, lectures are given, and continuous piano playing competitions are held among amateurs and professionals These and other events draw attention to a truly divine instrument, on which any music is performed - from vocal and orchestral to symphonic and operatic Piano Day is a hymn to the piano, its ability to touch the deepest strings of the soul, to convey the richest range of feelings and emotions