Bartolomeo Cristofori, Italian instrument maker, invented the piano (died 1731)

Bartolomeo Cristofori di Francesco was an Italian maker of musical instruments famous for inventing the piano.

A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an action mechanism where hammers strike strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a chromatic scale in equal temperament. A musician who specializes in piano is called a pianist.