Day of Pianist, which is celebrated annually on the 8^th of November, is gaining popularity in the musical community, and it concerns primarily those who have to do with such a musical instrument as the piano. Piano music, which originated in the 18^th century, rapidly gained popularity and became widespread in the second half of the century after the musical instrument itself was finally formed and became a logical development of its predecessors – the harpsichord and clavichord. The Italian artisan Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731) is considered the piano creator. The instrument, which mechanism developed and took shape mainly during the 18^th century, nowadays has two variations: the grand piano and the upright piano. These musical instruments differ in the arrangement of the strings; the grand piano has the strings horizontally, while the piano has the strings vertically. The piano has 88 keys – 52 white and 36 black.

Day of Pianist appeared almost three centuries after this musical instrument was created. The holiday does not have any official status, but thanks to the Internet and music communities it is becoming more and more famous.

The history of the holiday began on the 8^th of November 2014, in the capital of Belarus, where a concert dedicated to pianists from all over the world was held. The performance of musical pieces was interspersed with stories from the lives of prominent composers and stories about musical masterpieces. The celebration was covered by reporters, one of whom labelled the event as the Day of Pianist in his article. The name has caught on. Since 2016, the Day of Pianist has been celebrated in Russia and China. Later it was suppotted by Israel, Ukraine and Austria that joined the celebration. The number of countries where events in honour of the Day of Pianist are organised is growing every year.

Today one cannot fail to remember Ferencz Liszt, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Anton Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Emil Gilels and many other virtuoso pianists. The fate of Władysław Szpilman, one of the most famous pianists of the 20^th century, during the Second World War became the basis for the script of the Hollywood masterpiece ‘The Pianist’.

History has given the world many brilliant piano players, they all contributed to the development of music and performing technique. Each of them had a unique ability to transform sound into a truly living intangible substance, capable of conveying an incredibly wide range of emotions, with power, character and vividness, evoking in the listener deep feelings ranging from rapturous emotion to sadness and tears.
Congratulations to all those involved in this wonderful holiday!

A musical selection, prepared for the Day of Pianist  is posted in the museum Sound Library.  All tunes are digitised from paper music rolls, played on the Steinway Duo-Art grand piano, USA, New York. 1926 г.

On the cover: Musical automaton ‘Piano Player’. Germany. Circa 1890

The automaton is a lithograph housed in a black wooden profile frame with goldish stripe, covered with glass and connected by hook-and-loop fasteners to a wooden case containing the automaton driving mechanism and musical movement with paper music roll, a sound comb and spring drive. The sides of the case are papered in imitation wood. The lithograph features a parlor with bookshelves, draperies, and a piano with a musician sitting on a red upholstered stool. A score is mounted on the lectern, with an illegible company name above the keyboard. A winding hole for winding the movement and a cord for switching on the musical mechanism are on the case right side; a wire lever for switching on the automaton movement is below. The automaton movement winding hole is located on the case rear side.
When the mechanisms are wound up and switched on, a melody sounds and the pianist's head and hand move vigorously, with his left foot beating time.