Who invented the piano? Google doodle celebrates Bartolomeo Cristofori’s 360th birthday

Today, Google celebrated the 360th birthday of Bartolomeo Cristofori, who has been widely credited for the invention of the piano. Born in 1655, not much is known about him and his invention wasn’t even well known in his lifetime.Going by notes in Encyclopaedia Britannica, Cristofori invented what was known as harpsichord back then, which helped play soft and loud. Doodles blog states that one of his biggest innovations was creating a ‘hammer mechanism that struck the strings on a keyboard to create sound’. The hammer made it possible to produce softer or louder sounds, depending upon how hard or light the key is pressed.The interactive doodle now highlights this breakthrough of being able to change the volume. “My favorite part of the doodle is the animation of Cristofori playing when the volume is set on forte. If I had more time I would have put even more bounce to his bottom. I hope people decide to do more research after playing with the doodle and learn more about him, says doodle creator Leon Hong.The melody being played in this musical interactive doodle is from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring that belongs to Cristofori’s time.