The Cristofori Piano-Forte

About 1710, Bartolommeo Cristofori built several instruments in harpsichord shape but with hammer mechanisms surprisingly like the modern piano action. The result? Control of soft and loud (piano-forte, the name of the new insturment), impossible on plucked keyboard instruments. Cristofori originated several further improvements, such as an overhead damper system and a strengthened framework to support heavier strings.