The piano is an instrument polyphonic keyboard musical family of string instruments hit. The name of the instrument comes from an abbreviation of pianoforte, the name of his ancestor eighteenth century described precisely by its inventor as a "col piano e forte gravecembalo" harpsichord with the possibility nuanced sound directly by pressing keys, which until then was virtually impossible with es other keyboard instruments so as well play piano (softly) that strong (strong). (Today, in France, we reserve the name of the old instruments pianoforte, quite different from the modern piano.) The term "piano" common English and Latin languages ​​except Italian where he always called pianoforte varies from European language to another. In the vocal range of Germanic languages, it was first called Hammerklavier whence remained in use the abbreviation Klavier.