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One of the (then) striking features of the instrument was that you could play softly (piano) or loudly (forte) simply by changing the force exerted on the keys. Harpsichords could not do this (at least not in the fluid and instant way that it can be done on the piano) and clavichords are so delicate that changes in volume are more of a nuance than a full feature. Originally these instruments were called piano i forte, which became pianoforte, and now almost always simply piano. Cristofori's brilliant invention that makes this possible is called the "escapement" action. In a nutshell, the escapement action allows the pianist to set a hammer in motion with virtually any amount of force as long as it is sufficient to get the hammer to strike the wire, the hammer then "escapes" the control of the action and moves freely for a brief moment before striking. It is then free to recoil back and be stopped by the action and set into place for another strike.

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17y ago

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