Evolution of the Pianoforte

[Robert L. Simmen]

I have reviewed several histories in both encyclopedia and in texts on the subject, and have not seen an explanation of when three strings were first used, and why. Was it simply to increase the sound level or does the use of the "Choir" add color? Where should I look for an authoratative explanation?

[Bill Kibby]

Yes, a chorus effect is part of its appeal. In Beethoven's later years, trichords were already quite common, but his hearing was so bad that he requested a piano with four strings per note, in the hope that he could hear it more clearly. Later, experiments were made with up to six strings per note, but three is normally the maximum. There are many examples in science and nature where three is better than two, and the interactions caused by microscopic differences in the three strings, and in their tuning, create a sound which is much more complex, and therefore "thicker" than two strings. I can't think of the earliest example of trichords, I'll have to look around for that, but it would be in the eighteenth century, so it's very early in the piano's evolution. Some early grands have trichords throughout, but it proved to be impractical in the bass.