pianoforte

[ pee-an-uh-fawrt, -fohrt; pee-an-uh-fawr-tee, -tey, -fohr- ]

noun

1. a piano.

pianoforte

/ pɪˈænəʊˈfɔːtɪ /

noun

1. the full name for piano 1

pianoforte

1. The full name of the piano , the common musical instrument with a board of black and white keys, eighty-eight in all. The keys operate hammers that strike wires. Pianoforte is Italian for “soft-loud”; it received this name because its level of loudness depends on how hard the player strikes the keys.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pianoforte¹

1760–70; < Italian ( gravecembalo col ) piano e forte literally, (harpsicord with) soft and loud, equivalent to piano soft ( piano ² ) + forte loud ( forte ² )

Word History and Origins

Origin of pianoforte¹

C18: from Italian, originally ( gravecembalo col ) piano e forte (harpsichord with) soft and loud; see piano ², forte ²

Example Sentences

I also include the pianoforte instrument in the arias, sometimes, for joyful moments — like the kisses of Zerlina, a little bit in the spirit of Mozart, what he would do.

From New York Times

And in "Persuasion," Anne Elliot is a consummate musician but does not envy the more showy accomplishments of the Musgrove sisters who play the harp, while she is still on the old-fashioned pianoforte.

From Salon

The instrument commonly called the "piano" by the way, was originally called a "pianoforte" because it could play dynamics, unlike earlier popular keyboard instruments like the harpsichord and spinet.

From Literature

But when Liszt was preparing to perform in London in 1840, an advertisement said that he would give “recitals on the pianoforte.”

From New York Times

"I have played blindman's-buff and caught the corner of a particularly hard pianoforte with my forehead."

From Salon

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard