It was in Italy, Muttley, where the plucking (harpsichord) was replaced by the hammering of strings (piano), but important changes to the way the strings were hammered occured in London - which is one of the reasons I made the piano one of the INSTRUMENTS OF (OR CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH) ENGLAND
Also, when I'm surfing about myspace, it is clear that it's not just in England where many folkies, and tradies even, are NOT choosing such instruments these days, and I hope that tide turns.