In the style of Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” and Paul Harvey’s “The Rest of the Story” this episode of the Piano Parent Podcast brings you the backstory of a musician or song or a moment in music history. I use these musical mysteries to tell you something you might not know about someone or something that is somewhat familiar; in this case, I will tell you the story of the person I am calling “The Original Piano Guy”.
Listen to the full episode here
Happy September!!!
Did you know that September is National Piano Month? I tried to find out how these things are decided or why September was chosen for this special honor but I came up empty.
I did discover this, in 1991, the National Piano Foundation selected Schroeder from the Peanuts comics to be their spokesman for National Piano Month. I don’t know if that was the beginning of this celebration or just when Schroeder entered the picture. No matter, I am happy for any opportunity to celebrate the piano. (Plus, my birthday is in September so I’m doubly happy!)
Another rabbit trail about Schroeder and his toy piano, according to fandom.com, September 24, 1951, is the day Charlie Brown introduced Schroeder to the piano. In the comic strip’s first panel, we see Charlie and Schroeder sitting on either side of a toy piano. Charlie tells Schroeder how easy the piano is to play as he plays a few notes. In the second panel, Charlie is still plunking out a few notes for Schroeder, telling him how beautiful the piano is if played properly. In the third panel, Charlie stands up and invites Schroeder to give it a try. The last scene we see shows baby Schroeder playing a huge Rachmaninoff-style piece while Charlie sits in the background with a surprised look on his face. Poor Charlie! You can read that comic strip here.
Besides that cartoon piano guy, I’m guessing you’ve heard of The Piano Guys. I’m HOPING you’ve heard of The Piano Guys. If not, then I am happy to introduce you to them! When you watch their videos on YouTube, you’re likely to only see two guys; Jon Schmidt playing the piano and Steven Sharp Nelson playing the cello. Their videos are filmed in amazing places all around the world. Actually, there are four guys in the group; Jon, Steven, Paul Anderson, and Al van der Beek. You can read their full bio here but it all started when the owner of a southern Utah piano store, Paul Anderson, wanted to create videos to advertise his store and market his pianos. After all these years and their great success, I wonder if Paul still owns that store! Here is a cool compilation video celebrating their first 10 years producing videos.
All that is well and good but today’s episode is not about Schroeder or The Piano Guys. Today, I will tell you the story of the person I am calling “The Original Piano Guy”.
Here is his story:
Not your typical garage band
When we first meet our piano guy, let’s call him “Guy”, he is doing your typical boy band stuff; making interesting sounds on any instrument he could find. Imagine a startup musician trying to find his sound in his parents’ garage and you’re getting close to how Guy got his start. He tinkered and adjusted and experimented with his sound, working hours on end, always striving to get better and better. I don’t think Guy was ever really interested in playing for crowded stadiums, he was satisfied making music for the simple joy of it.
One day, as Guy was workshopping some music at home, he was ‘discovered’ by an agent. This powerful promoter had recently lost his star instrumentalist and was searching for a qualified replacement. Although Guy had really only been making music in the garage, word of his talent had spread all over Europe. The agent had heard of Guy’s amazing ear and his keen eye for detail so he traveled over 200 kilometers (about 143 miles – that was a lot in those days) to see if he could entice Guy to join his group.
Like I told you before, Guy wasn’t interested in a flashy performance career. He simply enjoyed making the best music he possibly could. Despite Guy’s reluctance to leave home, the knowledgeable negotiator was able to make him an offer he couldn’t refuse. (This part of the story makes me think of Marlon Brando’s character in “The Godfather”. I’ve never seen that movie but I’ve heard the famous quote, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” many times.) The agent offered Guy a nice place to live, a healthy income, and a prominent position.
The beginning wasn't very harmonious
As soon as Guy got settled in and met the other members of the band, he tried to step into the previous guy’s shoes as seamlessly as possible. He hoped to blend in with the other talent because they truly were very skilled. As much as he enjoyed being part of the group, their sounds just didn’t mix well. Most of the compositions they worked on were anything but harmonious. Guy found his serene sound being overpowered by what he considered to be noise from the others. After a couple of years, Guy told his agent that he was losing his sound, his vibe, his voice, and he was going to have to break free from the ensemble and go solo.
The agent really was a prince of a man and he didn’t want to lose Guy or his amazing talent so he set Guy up with everything he would need to make the best music. Guy stuck with his agent and began making music on his own, away from the hubbub of the other fellows. Playing in the privacy of his home gave Guy the chance to get back to what he really loved – making music and making his instrument as versatile as possible.
Coming at it from a different angle
Versatility was a problem that plagued Guy most of his adult life. He didn’t want to be a one-hit-wonder or a one-trick pony, he yearned for some way to be able to express himself more broadly. Guy enjoyed playing lots of instruments and he noticed that when he played on one type of instrument he could create a tiny, delicate sound – perfect for playing a lullaby or a gentle love song. On a different instrument, the sound was much stronger and fuller – nice if you wanted to show off your virtuosic skills. Guy’s problem, though, was that he wanted all that in one instrument.
He remembered his early days with the band and how each member had their own unique sound. Well, I suppose I can tell you now that it wasn’t a band of musicians. When Guy first arrived in Florence, Italy he was put in a workshop with other artisans. The potters and tapestry weavers weren’t very loud at all. He could tolerate the goldsmiths and lathe workers; they didn’t make too much noise. But those stone engravers and cabinetmakers could give any musician a headache!
Guy remembered that many of the craftsmen used hammers. Depending on what they were creating, each crafter could gently tap their hammer to mold gold and silver or they could pound their hammer forcefully on an anvil to form red-hot iron just so.
Those hammers gave our guy an idea. Instead of using the customary mechanism of a plectrum (guitar players call plectrums ‘picks’) to pluck the strings of a harpsichord or the tiny metal strips which tap the strings of a clavichord, Guy wondered what would happen if he devised a hammer-type mechanism. Would you be able to control how loud or quiet the sound was just like his craftsman friends were able to do with their hammers?
I am happy to tell you the answer to that question is a resounding yes! The star of today’s musical mystery is Bartolomeo Cristofori, the Italian instrument maker who looked at keyboard instruments of his day from an entirely different angle.
He wasn’t satisfied with the small sound a clavichord produced. Neither was he happy only making loud sounds on a harpsichord. He studied and tinkered and experimented with all kinds of hammers covered in all kinds of materials tapping all kinds of strings until had the perfect combination to produce a wide variety of sounds on one keyboard instrument. He chose a very practical name for his new instrument; it was simply a keyboard that would make soft and loud sounds. The name is much nicer in Italian; gravicembalo col piano e forte.
That name doesn’t sound familiar to you? You might know it by its much shorter nickname: the piano.
The end is just the beginning
I suppose now that we know what we know, we shouldn’t call this Musical Mystery “The Original Piano Guy.” We should call it “The Original Gravicembalo col Piano e Forte Guy.”
As far as I know, Bartolomeo Cristofori never once performed before a crowded stadium, whenever he played, he preferred the privacy of his own home, but his instrument has graced many stages and has inspired musicians for the last 300 plus years.
I hope Bartolomeo Cristofori’s story inspires you to keep making your own music and improving on your skill. Even if you are the only one to hear your playing, you are a worthy audience.
Before we wrap up, I don’t want to forget that agent who afforded Bartolomeo the time and resources to keep working until he produced our favorite instrument. I’ve disguised him as a talent agent because he truly was. Prince Ferdinando de Medici of Florence, Italy actively sought out musicians and artists and craftsmen that he could support and who would, in turn, make his home a beautiful place to live.
This little mystery isn’t intended to be a full account of the origin of the piano, but rather enough of an appetizer for you to want to learn more on your own. The show notes for this episode contain several links to resources, including a link to my inspiration for this retelling, the book by Elizabeth Rusch, “The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori and the Invention of the Piano”. I even found a YouTube video of the author reading her book!
Social Shareables
Click an image to share directly to your Pinterest account. Download an image to share in your social circles. If the image is not branded, please link back to this page and help us spread the word about all the great resources at Piano Parent Podcast. Thank you!
Join the challenge
A little friendly competition to make your piano practicing more exciting. Every piece you play, every time you play it. Goes from Nov. 1-30. Jump in anytime!
Thanks for listening!
To share your thoughts:
- Leave a note in the comment section below
- Ask a question at pianoparentpodcast@gmail.com
- Share this show on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest
To help out the show:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More
