Sophia Dussek

Sophia Giustina Dussek (née Corri, later Moralt (b. Edinburgh, 1 May 1775 – d. London, ca. 1831) was a Scottish singer, pianist, harpist, and composer of Italian descent. In 1792, Dussek married the composer Jan Ladislav Dussek. Following Jan’s death in 1812, Sophia married the violist John Alvis Moralt. The couple lived in Paddington, where […]

Piano History – Gabriel Berrebi

The piano was founded on earlier technological innovations in keyboard instruments. Pipe organs have been used since Antiquity, and as such, the development of pipe organs enabled instrument builders to learn about creating keyboard mechanisms for sounding pitches. The first string instruments with struck strings were the hammered dulcimers, which were used since the Middle […]

History of Pianos Gabriel Berrebi

The piano is an acoustic, stringed musical instrument invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700 (the exact year is uncertain), in which the strings are struck by hammers. It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys (small levers) that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers […]