Photo of Square piano, mahogany wood - Public domain dedication

The grand piano, invented by Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655–1731) in Florence around 1700, did not become popular until about 1785. The German Johannes Zumpe, working in London around 1763, was first to inspire general interest in this instrument. Charles Burney (1726–1814) wrote that Zumpe’s square pianos caught on because of ‘their low price, and the convenience of their form, as well as power of expression.’