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Well, first the harpsichord was invented; this instrument was only soft so you could not get loud. Then the Gravicembalo col piano e forte was invented, which means "harpsichord with loud and soft". Needless to say, this was shortened to pianoforte which just means loud-soft. And then around 1900, it was shortened again to piano, which is ironic, because pianos can still play both loud and soft. But "piano" is just a whole lot more convenient to say.

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14y ago

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