The piano is a keyboard instrument comprised of 88 keys. There are two kinds of instruments in the string family, the first are the “bowed” instruments, like the violin. The second are the plucked, or hammered instruments, like the piano, whose strings are struck by a small hammer which moves when a player pushes down a key. It is the grand piano which is used in an orchestra.
Did you know?
The piano isn’t always used in an orchestra, but when it is, it is usually teamed up with the percussion instruments and the harp.
Musical excerpts
In Pines of Rome, the piano blends in perfectly with the musical tapestry created by the strings, and plays a much more percussive role in the excerpt of Petrushka by Igor Stravinsky.
Igor Stravinski
Petrushka: First Tableau, Russian Dance
Dmitri Chostakovitch
Symphony No. 1: II. Allegro
Ottorino Respighi
Pines of Rome
Discover the favourite symphonic work of Jennifer Bourdages, pianist with the Orchestra Métropolitain.