Questions
Piano 300
If you think about it, almost anywhere you look, there is a piano. People have them at home, school, at church, and even at shopping malls.
It's hard to imagine a time before the piano, yet 300 years ago you wouldn't have been able to find a piano. The Smithsonian Museum is helping us understand and appreciate how much we enjoy pianos by celebrating the piano's 300th birthday in the year 2000-2001.
The first piano recorded in history was owned by the Medici family in Florence, Italy. Made by Bartolomeo Cristofori, the action of the piano keys was so ingeniously designed that some of its parts are still found in grand pianos today. The piano's capacity to change the dynamics of each note, playing softer or louder, made this instrument popular across Europe by 1775. By 1800 a revolution had occurred as the piano replaced the harpsichord and the clavichord as the most popular keyboard instrument. New industries sprung up to meet the demand for building pianos, publishing piano music and of course, piano teachers. The United States became the world leader in building pianos.
In the 1900s the piano has continued to improve. There are many sizes and styles of pianos, from the grand concert pianos of the great competitions to the compact electronic pianos. The piano has become important to our way of life, linking generations of families, shaping our entertainment, developing our habits of training and discipline, and enhancing the beauty and pleasure of our culture. Let's join the Smithsonian in celebrating the importance of the piano.
1. In this passage, the word dynamics means:
a. dying
b. changing - from softer to louder, or from slower to faster
c. energetic, forceful
2. In this passage the word revolution means:
a. a war between the harpsichord and the pianos
b. a change in the way a group of people live or believe
c.
3. The first piano was made by -
a. Medici
b. Cristofori
c. Bach
4. Which happened last?
a. Pianos spread across Europe and the United States.
b. Pianos were invented.
c. The Smithsonian plans to celebrate the invention of the piano.
5. Which statement explains why you couldn't find a piano 300 years ago?
a. Pianos had not been invented yet.
b. Medici was hiding all the pianos.
c. The Smithsonian was trying to surprise everyone.
6. Which is a statement of FACT about pianos?
a. Pianos play the prettiest music.
b. The United States builds the best pianos.
c. Pianos replaced the harpsichord as the most popular keyboard.
7. Which statement best summarizes this selection?
a. The piano is a cultural machine, carrying music all around the world.
b. The piano is 300 years old.
c. Pianos are more popular than clavichords or harpsichords.
8. Which statement is the most likely outcome of the Smithsonian Piano 300
celebration?
a. People will learn more about the Van Cliburn Piano Competition.
b. People will learn how pianos connect the past to the future.
c. People will buy many more pianos.
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