Italian pianoforte from piano e forte soft and loud: see piano², forte². The prototype of the modern pianoforte, originating in Italy in the early 18th cent., was called ‘soft-loud’ because its mechanism of hammers striking strings allowed its tone to be easily varied. This set it apart from the two keyboard instruments popular at the time: the harpsichord, in which quills pluck the strings, had a loud tone that could scarcely be varied; the clavichord, using a striking or pressing mechanism, had a tone that could be modified to some extent but was always soft