In Florence around 1700, the Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori made a breakthrough now credited with paving the way towards the modern piano: for plucked strings, he substituted a ...

Ludwig van Beethoven and the piano were two of the most exciting new qualities of music in the 18th century and both are showcased in his Sonata Op.13 No.8 in C minor, Pathétique, first movement.