piano-forté

piano-forté (plural piano-fortés)

1. Rare form of pianoforte.
   • 1800, [John Moore], “Letter XXI. The Same in Continuation.”, in Mordaunt. Sketches of Life, Characters, and Manners in Various Countries; Including the Memoirs of a French Lady of Quality., volume I, London: […] G. G. and J. Robinson, […]; S. Hamilton, […], page 256:

     You know, I ſuppoſe, that ſpeaking bad French, drawing hideouſly, and thrumming a few Italian airs on the piano-forté, are each of them called an accompliſhment; and ſhe who engroſſes all the three is thought a moſt accompliſhed woman indeed. I have known ſome of theſe accompliſhed ladies, however, to any one of whom if I were married, I ſhould willingly relinquiſh half her fortune, on condition that ſhe would renounce her painting, and never attempt to ſpeak French, nor to play on the piano-forté, in my hearing.

   • 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter I, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 16:

     “Marianne can never keep long from that instrument you know, ma’am,” said Elinor, endeavouring to smooth away the offence; “and I do not much wonder at it; for it is the very best toned piano-forté I ever heard.”

   • 1828, “New Patents, Sealed”, in W. Newton, The London Journal of Arts and Sciences; […], volume VI, London: […] Sherwood, Jones, & Co. […]; and W. Newton, […], page 110:

     To Henry Smart, of Berner’s-street, in the parish of St. Mary-le-bonne, in the county of Middlesex, piano-forté manufacturer, for his invention of certain improvements in the constructions of piano-fortés.

   • 1870, Sketches from the Border Land; or, A Daughter of England, London: F. Bowyer Kitto, […], page 9:

     Among much that was curious, there were tables with raised edges of delicate workmanship, holding some fine old china; there was a small oak spinning-wheel, on which my grandmother spun; and standing alone, too modern for its surroundings, was a piano-forté, on which Miss Green played.

   • 2014, Linda Rae Sande, The Promise of a Gentleman (The Cousins of the Aristocracy; I), Twisted Teacup Publishing, →ISBN:

     “I will see to it there is a piano-forté in the music room when she comes home for the summer.”