The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano

A nonfiction account follows Bartolomeo Cristofori, an eighteenth-century Italian instrument maker and tuner serving the Medici family. He knew the soft sound of the clavichord and the loud sound of the harpsichord, but sought a keyboard instrument that could produce both. Drawing inspiration from violins and violas, he tried hammers, strings, and other materials before creating the first pianoforte. He continued altering the instrument until his death.