Annex 1: The Eighteenth Century Pedal Piano, also known as Fortepiano

The term fortepiano is strictly reserved to instruments produced before 1830.  Such instruments were also known as ‘eighteenth century pedal pianos’. They were instruments with as few limitations – they had just four octaves, ranging from C to C3;   their tone was softer than that of  the modern piano, with less sustain, and differed in quality in different registers – a long, continuous sound in the bass area, a more rounded tone in the mid range, and a tickling in the high treble, which made them less uniform in sound than the modern piano.  

The fortepiano had thinner strings and a much lighter case construction, and had no metal frame or bracing. It  had a much lighter touch, since the action and the hammers were lighter.  
    
The invention of the fortepiano is attributed to Bartolomeo Cristofori, who produced the first example in 1700. Cristofori named it gravicembalo col piano e forte (‘harpsichord with soft and loud’). However, unlike the original harpsichord the strings were not plucked but stroke by small hammers.


Only three examples of the original fortepianos have survived. The oldest, now in the Metropolitan Museum, New York, is dated 1720.

The following picture shows a replica of  Liszt’s personal Boisselot 1846 commissioned by Stichting Weimar for 2011 Liszt bicentennial.