476 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Fig. 4. — Spinet by Player. 

 South Kensington Museum, London. 



piece of crow-quill was used attached to a " jack " and operated by 

 a finger-key. The difference between these two instruments was 

 only a slight matter of shape. The virginal was in some cases 

 partially upright. Among the magnificent collection of instru- 

 ments presented to the Museum of Art by W. A. and Mary E. 



Brown, of this city, sev- 

 eral specimens may be 

 seen. The virginal was 

 a favorite instrument in 

 England during Eliza- 

 beth's time. The most 

 noteworthy example of 

 this species in preserva- 

 tion is the Rossi spinet, 

 in the South Kensington 

 Museum collection, Lon- 

 don. It has a compass 

 of four octaves and an 

 eighth from E, and is 

 finished in a superb man- 

 ner. A Player spinet is 

 shown in Fig. 4. 



Meanwhile musical 

 art had been developing, the compass of keyed instruments was 

 extending, and the harpsichord duly ajopeared in Italy, which 

 was the home of musical art almost up to the end of the last 

 century. Toward the end of the sixteenth century it had taken 

 the iDlace of the virginal and spinet in many parts of Europe! 

 The harpsichord was an enlarged and improved form of the latter 

 instruments. Among other original features it contained two 

 strings to each note, which marks another important innovation, 



Hans Ruckers, of Dresden — Handel's favorite maker — was the 

 most noted of his time. One of his instruments is at present in 

 the possession of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. having been 

 presented by the late Mr. Drexel, of Philadelphia. 



In Italy, Father Zanetti, a Venetian priest, became noted for 

 some improvements in the harpsichord about 1702, Crotone and 

 Farino — two famous Italian makers — later appeared. The latter 

 substituted catgut for wire, going back to the harp principle, but 

 it never won recognition. Meantime, one Rigoli, of Florence, 

 made upright harpsicliords as far back as 1631. Coming down 

 toward the introduction of the piano-forte, the names of Silber- 

 mann. Stein, Peronnard, Marius, Cristofori, and Tschudi must be 

 mentioned. These were all noted harpsichord-makers, represent- 

 ing Germany, France, Italy, and England, but nearly all of them 

 became identified with the production of the piano. 



