Piano octave numbers3/27/2023 Composers like Schubert, Mozart, and Haydn all felt that the four-octave piano was overly limited and before too long this led to manufacturers expanding the range to at least five octaves. What happened as these pianos became of interest to composers, as they started to grow in range and develop greater reliability in terms of manufacturing quality. This was similar to the range for harpsichords being produced at this time. The early pianos developed by Cristofori encompassed a range of notes that were as few as 32, giving these early instruments only about four octaves. The harpsichord, with all its limitations including dynamics and tuning, would soon withdraw to the wings as the piano held center stage. When the piano as we recognize it first emerged from the workshop of Bartolomeo Cristofori approximately around 1700, the musical world was about to move in a direction that would bring radical change. It consists of eight notes that would for example cover the notes from ‘middle’ ‘C’ to the next ‘C’ up (or down) on the piano. The question that forms the focus for this article is the range of the piano? Do all pianos have the same number of octaves or are some different from others? Historically, were pianos made with similar spans, or are there variations on a theme across the manufacturers of the instrument? An octave is often the most frequently used measure of a piano’s range of notes. For some, it is enough to look at and admire, for others a creative challenge that spans a lifetime to master. It has in a way become iconic and a symbol of musical possibility, accessible by simply pressing a key. From the humble upright through to the majestic concert grand, the piano has held a place in our hearts and our houses for many decades. Of all the instruments available to us the piano is one of the long-standing household favorites.
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