fortepiano

[fawr-tuh-pyah-noh]

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.

Origin of fortepiano

First recorded in 1760–70; early variant of pianoforte

forte-piano

[fawr-tey-pee-ah-noh; Italian fawr-te-pyah-naw]

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. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for fortepiano

fortepiano

noun

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

Word Origin for fortepiano

from Italian, loud-soft

forte-piano

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