Who invented the piano? I was curious about that question. It`s been in my mind for about two to three years!!!

Most people agree that Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the piano around 1709. He called it a `gravicembalo col piano e forte` meaning `harpsichord with soft and loud`. It was similar in shape to a modern grand piano, though it had square edges and was smaller with fewer keys. Upright/vertical pianos didn`t come along until much later. Incidentally, the earliest upright pianos were very tall and top heavy and it was not unknown for a piano to topple and crush its player, unless it was anchored to the wall. I suppose having a piano fall on you could seriously ruin your day!

Thank you for the history - v. interesting. Please let`s follow this up and get a string going. It would be nice to have more people with a sense of humor contribute!

I certainly agree on the "falling piano." I hope it doesn`t happen to me, but thank you for the information. It`s very interesting to know the history of it if you want to be a pianist or a music teacher/professor!