Bartolomeo Cristofori
Inventor
Italian instrument maker who invented the piano and was employed by the Medici family. He was also skilled at building existing instruments, such as the clavicytherium or upright harpsichord and the standard Italian harpsichord.
He may have apprenticed with the legendary violin maker, Nicolò Amati. He was hired by Ferdinando de Medici, the Prince of Tuscany, to maintain the royal collection of musical instruments.
He invented two other keyboard instruments in addition to the piano: the spinettone and the oval spinet.
His life was poorly documented. All that remained were his birth and death records, two wills, bills he sent to clients, and one interview conducted by Scipione Maffei. His family was residing in Padua in the Republic of Venice when he was born.
He and Adolphe Sax both invented well-known musical instruments.