[fawr-tey-pee-ah-noh; It. fawr-te-pyah-naw] 
| loud and immediately soft. |
[fawr-tuh-pyah-noh] | a piano of the late 18th and early 19th centuries with greater clarity but less volume, resonance, and dynamic range than a modern grand, revived in the late 20th century for the performance of the music of its period. |
| for·te·pi·an·o (fôr'tā-pē-ān'ō, -ä'nō) n. pl. for·te·pi·an·os Any of various precursors to the modern piano. [Italian, variant of pianoforte; see pianoforte.] |