Winding
up our discussion on the history of the keyboard, today let’s take a look at
musical examples of both the pianoforte and its more developed counterpart of
the 19th century.
The
piano is often times used as both a solo instrument and as an accompaniment to
another melody instrument (violin, flute, etc.) Around the time the pianoforte
was first created, chamber music was also quite popular in the home. Expected
to be accomplished on the piano, many young girls would lead in-home musical
ensembles on the instrument while the young boys (who practiced less and therefore
were not as good) would accompany the piano on string instruments.
One
example of a composer who wrote for the early pianoforte is J.C. Bach, the
youngest son of the infamous Johann Sebastian. He received his early training
from his brother, Carl Philip Emmanuel following their father’s death. During
his lifetime he composed 70 sonatas for keyboard instruments of various sorts,
including the pianoforte. Did you know that he was the first person in England
to play a concert on the new pianoforte in 1768? One example of his keyboard
works is the Keyboard Sonata Op. 17.
During
the 19th century, one prominent composer for the piano was Frederic
Chopin. Listen to his Mazurka Op. 6, No. 3 and compare its style and sound to
that of the pianoforte. A Mazurka is a Polish dance in triple meter with the
accent placed on either the second or third beat. Composers wrote them either
as purely an art form or sometimes for actual use. Chopin’s Mazurkas are
inspired by Polish folk music. This particular example sounds like a rustic
dance with a drone bass and was composed for use.
Now
that we’ve walked through several types of keyboard instruments over the past
several weeks, what do you think? Do you have a favorite?
