The piano (from Italian forte-piano — “loud-soft,” unlike the harpsichord, which had a single dynamic level) was invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori around 1700 (the first instrument is mentioned in a Medici inventory of 1700). A modern grand has 88 keys spanning over 7 octaves — the full orchestral range in the hands of one player.
The piano is the composer's laboratory: Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Debussy, and Ravel created a large part of their music for (and at) the piano. Great 20th-century pianists: Arthur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman. World-class Ukrainian names: Vladimir Horowitz (born in Kyiv), Sviatoslav Richter (born in Zhytomyr), and modern Vadym Kholodenko.
