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fortepiano

[ fawr-tuh-pyah-noh ]
/ ˌfɔr təˈpyɑ noʊ /
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noun
a piano of the late 18th and early 19th centuries with greater clarity but less volume, resonance, and dynamic range than a modern grand, revived in the late 20th century for the performance of the music of its period.
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Origin of fortepiano

First recorded in 1760–70; early variant of pianoforte

Words nearby fortepiano

Fort Dodge, Fort Donelson, Fort Drum, Fort Duquesne, forte, fortepiano, Fort Erie, Fort Eustis, Fort George G. Meade, Fort Gordon, forth

Other definitions for fortepiano (2 of 2)

forte-piano
[ fawr-tey-pee-ah-noh; Italian fawr-te-pyah-naw ]
/ ˌfɔr teɪ piˈɑ noʊ; Italian ˌfɔr tɛˈpyɑ nɔ /
adjective, adverb Music.
loud and immediately soft.

Origin of forte-piano

First recorded in 1760–70
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use fortepiano in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fortepiano (1 of 2)

fortepiano
/ (ˌfɔːtɪpɪˈænəʊ) /
noun
an early type of piano popular in the late 18th century

Word Origin for fortepiano

from Italian, loud-soft

British Dictionary definitions for fortepiano (2 of 2)

forte-piano
/ (ˌfɔːtɪˈpjɑːnəʊ) music /
adjective, adverb
loud and then immediately softSymbol: fp
noun
a note played in this way
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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