This booklet will serve as an introduction to the important collection of pianos in the Smithsonian Institution. As yet no catalog has been compiled and the collection is little known, but it is one of the largest collections of instruments of this family in existence. A complete list of the keyboard collection is found in A Checklist of Keyboard Instruments at the Smithsonian Institution. It includes the predecessors of the piano, i.e., clavichords and harpsichords, along with a complete list of the pianos. The checklist is available from the Division of Musical Instruments, National Museum of History and Technology, Smithsonian Institution. The selected examples discussed and illustrated herein represent many important stages in the development of the modern piano from its early beginnings.
