Paul von Jankó — Hungarian pianist and keyboard inventor

Education and early career

Jankó studied both theoretical and practical subjects in central Europe. He studied mathematics and music in Vienna and worked with several teachers there, including H. Schmitt and J. Krenn; he also studied with the composer and theorist Anton Bruckner. His dual training in analytical subjects and musical performance shaped his later inventions.

Training in Berlin

In the early 1880s Jankó moved to Berlin to continue his mathematical studies at the university and to refine his piano technique. He studied piano with H. Erlich and maintained a professional profile both as a pianist and as a technical experimenter. He is often described in biographies as also working as an engineer.

The Jankó keyboard

In 1882 Jankó introduced what became known as the Janko keyboard. The design used six parallel rows of keys and is sometimes referred to as a 6-plus-6 keyboard. Its principal ideas were:

• an isomorphic layout where the same fingerings produce the same intervals in every key;
• reduced lateral hand movement because of staggered rows that bring nearby semitones within reach;
• multiple occurrences of the same pitch on different rows, giving players options for fingering and economy of motion.

Reception and legacy

The Jankó keyboard attracted interest among inventors, pedagogues and a small number of performers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although it never replaced the conventional keyboard, its underlying idea — an isomorphic, uniform fingering system — influenced later alternative keyboard efforts and remains a point of study for instrument designers and keyboard enthusiasts.

Notable facts

Examples of Jankó-style instruments were constructed and demonstrated during his lifetime, and several historic instruments survive in collections. Modern makers and hobbyists occasionally recreate the layout to explore its claimed advantages. For further context on his life and instruments see sources that collect biographical and technical material on 19th-century keyboard innovation.

Additional references: biographical notes, Vienna musical context.