Pianist Day Date in the current year: November 8, 2024

Piano music originated in the 18th century thanks to Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord maker who invented a hammer mechanism, which made it possible to change the sound volume depending on how hard the keys were pressed. Before this invention, harpsichords and clavichords did not allow variation in volume.

The instrument equipped with Cristofori’s hammer mechanism was referred to as clavicembalo col piano e forte (“harpsichord with quiet and loud [volume]”). The phrase was shortened to pianoforte, which eventually transformed into fortepiano in some languages and shortened to piano in English. Cristofori’s new instrument was improved by other instrument makers; modern piano emerged around the early 19th century.

Modern pianos have two basic configurations: the upright piano with the vertical frame and strings and the grand piano with the horizontal frame and strings. The piano can be played alone, accompanied by a voice or other instrument; it is played in small and big bands, chamber music ensembles, and orchestras.

Many composers of the Classical and Romantic eras wrote music for the piano, although they composed for instruments that were different from modern-day pianos. They include Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Johannes Brahms.

Some of the most prominent pianists of the 20th century include Sergei Rachmaninoff, Josef Hofmann, Emil Gilels, Svyatoslav Richter, Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein, Glenn Gould, Friedrich Gulda, Van Cliburn, Edward Elgar, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Clara Haskil, Alicia de Larrocha, Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim, and others.

The piano is a crucial instrument in many Western musical genres, including classical music, folk music, jazz, blues, and rock. Many composers and songwriters can play the piano because it allows them to experiment with chords and try out polyphony. Bandleaders and conductors often learn the piano, too. The instrument is also widely used in music education to help teach various classes.

Pianist Day originated in Belarus in 2014. It was conceived by Ivan Manko, the founder of the Free Piano events, Alexander Polyakov, and other Belarusian pianists who felt that they deserved to have a professional holiday. On November 8, 2014, Manko and Polyakov organized a concert dedicated to piano music and pianists. One of the journalists in attendance referred to the event as Pianist Day, and the name stuck.

The second Pianist Day event took place a year later at the Belarusian State Philharmonic. The holiday became international in 2016, when Polyakov organized a Pianist Day event in China, where he was working as a teacher. Since then, Pianist Day has spread to other countries such as Russia, Ukraine, Israel, and Austria.