fortepiano

American  

[fawr-tuh-pyah-noh] / ˌfɔr təˈpjɑ noʊ /

noun

1. 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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fortepiano British  

/ ˌfɔːtɪpɪˈænəʊ /

noun

1. an early type of piano popular in the late 18th century

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Etymology

Origin of fortepiano

First recorded in 1760–70; early variant of pianoforte

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fortepiano

In 1986, he left the group to concentrate on solo and chamber music, with an emphasis on the harpsichord and the fortepiano, a softer-sounding predecessor of the modern grand piano.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2023

Mr. Serkin, who was 72 when he died Feb. 1, played everything from Bach to Berio and Mozart to Messiaen, sometimes using a 19th-century fortepiano to perform period works.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 2, 2020

Plus, Swed marked Beethoven’s 247th birthday by attending a concert of sonatas performed by Antonio Lysy on cello and Tom Beghin on the fortepiano at the Broad Stage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2017

Sagripanti also provided the musically authentic and essential fortepiano continuo that deftly knit together the score.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 16, 2017

Figure 1.83: The performance of an accent depends on the style of music, but in general, sforzando and fortepiano accents involve a loud beginning to a longer note.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones