Bartolomeo Cristofori

Bartolomeo Cristofori was the inventor of the "modern" fortepiano.


Many others followed to bring the piano to nowadays perfection.

- The following informations are collected at Tastenwiki and youtube -

Three exemplars of original instruments still exist,

• in the Museum für Musikinstrumente der Universität Leipzig, possibly the most preseved instrument
• in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• at Rome

One Copy built after Cristofori from 1726 

• in MIM Berlin

Let us first have a look to a model of his mechanism:

   watch on youtube

 And now let's listen to the sound of instruments built after Cristofori:

watch on youtubewatch on youtube

Sonate da Cimbalo   di piano e forte Florenz 1632.

Wolfgang Brunner an einer Cristofori-Kopie Reiner Thiemanns (Nürnberg 1995) während der CD-Produktion von 6 Giustini-Sonaten, die demnächst bei CPO erscheinen wird.

 watch on youtube

Domenico Scarlatti Sonatas K 65 K 66 K 67 Alvini  - Schwarz Fortepiano after Cristofori 1726

 watch on youtube 

Lodovico Giustini Sonata II Andrea Coen Schwarz Fortepiano after Cristofori 1726

watch on youtube

That keyboard work is Sonata No. 6 in D, Op. 1, by Andrea Luchesi. Played by Luca Guglielmi, on Cristofori fortepiano (gravecembalo col piano e forte). Picture: Hong Kong Flower View 2010. Taken by TKOLSY.