A Material History of the Modern Piano

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K12932
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Historical studies in general
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Nagahara Yoko 京都大学, 文学研究科, 教授 (90172551)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: ピアノ / マテリアルヒストリー / アフリカ / 象牙

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The modern piano, which usually is characterized by the introduction of the cast-iron frame, was not the immediate product of the industrial revolution. The industrialization of ivory processing, such as for combs and billiard balls, brought about the new keyboard industry, which again gave rise to the industrial division specialized in piano actions. Numerous small scale piano makers, sustained by the piano parts industry producing actions, soundboards and others, had existed before the production of the modern piano was finally monopolized by a handful of big makers. The process was realized based on the supply of ivory directly exploited from Africa.
The distribution and the use in Africa of the modern piano as an end product was not just an introduction of the culture of the colonizers, though they reflected the colonial situation as well as race relations as was shown in the case of South Africa.

Free Research Field

世界史