The earliest known keyboard instrument was the Ancient Greek
hydraulis, a type of
pipe organ invented in the third century BC. The keys were likely balanced and could be played with a light touch, as is clear from the reference in a Latin poem by
Claudian (late 4th century), who says
magna levi detrudens murmura tactu . . . intonet, that is "let him thunder forth as he presses out mighty roarings with a light touch" (
Paneg. Manlio Theodoro, 320–22). From its invention until the fourteenth century, the organ remained the only keyboard instrument. Often, the organ did not feature a keyboard at all, but rather buttons or large levers operated by a whole hand. Almost every keyboard until the fifteenth century had seven
naturals to each octave. The
clavicymbalum,
clavichord, and the
harpsichord appeared during the fourteenth century—the clavichord probably being earlier. The harpsichord and clavichord were both common until the widespread adoption of the piano in the eighteenth century, after which their popularity decreased. The first template for the modern piano was introduced in 1698 in Italy by
Bartolomeo Cristofori as the
gravicèmbalo con piano e forte ("harpsichord with soft and loud"), also shortened to
pianoforte, as it allowed the pianist to control the dynamics by adjusting the force with which each key was struck. In its current form, the piano is a product of further developments made since the late nineteenth century and is distinct in both sound and appearance from the instruments known to earlier pianists, including
Mozart,
Haydn, and
Beethoven. Beginning in the twentieth century, early electromechanical instruments, such as the
Ondes Martenot, began to appear as well. Later in the 20th century,
electronic keyboards appeared. == See also ==