Piano
The piano in five languages — piano, pianoforte, Klavier, piano
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Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 钢琴 |
| English | piano |
| Italian | pianoforte |
| German | Klavier |
| French | piano |
Piano is short for pianoforte: Italian piano (soft) plus forte (loud) — "soft and loud", the selling point of the new instrument, whose dynamics respond to touch. German uses Klavier (keyboard instrument), a different root from English piano.
Watch out: piano is also the dynamic mark "soft"; one word, an instrument and a dynamic. The Chinese 钢琴 has nothing to do with steel; it is a retained early translation.
Read deeper → Piano
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与 piano 的词源，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Pianoforte"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.