ent-day piano. It seems almost
unaccountable that the manufacturers who so greatly improved the
mechanism of the harpsichord at this stage failed to discover the hammer
action. But at last, after the quest of centuries, the quill, thorn, and
ivory were discarded and a small hammer struck the string, giving a
clear, precise, but delicate tone hitherto unheard. The "scratch with a
sound at the end" was gone forever. The harpsichord had been changed
into an instrument of percussion, and it only remained for man to
perfect that primitive creation into the superb piano of today.

Although Italy gave the invention to the world, it remained for northern
Europe and England to take up the idea and improve it. Christofori
solved three important problems: first, the construction of thicker
strings to withstand the hammer action; second, a way to compensate for
the weakness caused by the opening in the tuning-pin block; third, the
mechanical control of the rebound of the hammer from the strings, so
that the hammer should not block against the latter and prevent
vibration.

The first Christofori instrument was brought out in 1709. Marius did not
come forth with his claim until 1716, and Schroeter not until the next
year. The name "pianoforte" is traced clearly to the year 1598 and is
said to have been originated by an Italian named Paliarino. In some of
his manuscripts he mentions an instrument called _piano e forte_. The
English put in a claim for a monk living in Rome who had made an
instrument resembling Christofori's in 1711 and had brought it to
England, where it created a profound sensation. This may have been true,
but England did little to develop even the harpsichord until long after
Continental makers had achieved marked success in the business. In 1760
German workmen to the number of twelve went to London. They were known
as the Twelve Apostles, and it is their descendants who became
identified with the successful development of the piano down to the
present time.

Very few of the first Christofori pianos have been preserved. One, in
excellent repair, is in the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Two are in
Florence, dated 1720 and 1726. They show, beyond a doubt, that he had
anticipated the plan of escapement and hammer checking. Like many other
pioneer inventors, this man died in comparative poverty. Schroeter, the
German claimant, became a famous maker of instruments. He succeeded in
improving the piano to a large exte