Italian Harpsichord- Building 

 in the 16th and 17th Centuries 



By John D. Shortridse 



The waking of harpsichords flourished in Italy 

 throughout the 16th and 17th centuries. The Italian 

 instruments were of simpler construction than those 

 built by the North Europeans, and they lacked the 

 familiar second 7nanual and array of stops. 



In this paper, typical examples of Italian harpsi- 

 chords from the Hugo Worch Collection in the United 

 States National Niuseum are described in detail and 

 illustrated. Also, the author offers an explanation 

 for certain puzx.ling variations in keyboard ranges 

 and vibrating lengths of strings of the Italian 

 harpsichords. 



The Author: /o/;;; D. Shortridge is associate 

 curator of cultural history in the United States 

 National Museum, Smithsonian Institution. 



(TT^ERHAPS the modem tendency to idealize prog- 

 -ZT less has been responsible for the neglect of Italian 

 harpsichords and virginals during the present day 

 revival of interest in old musical instruments. What- 

 ever laudable traits the Italian builders may have had, 

 they cannot be considered to have been progres- 

 sive. Their instruments of the mid-1 6th century 

 hardly can be distinguished from those made around 

 1700. During this 150 years the pioneering Flemish 

 makers added the four-foot register, a second key- 

 board, and lute and bufi' stops to their instruments. 

 However, the very fact that the Italian builders were 

 unwilling to change their models suggests that their 

 instruments were good enough to demand no further 

 improvements. Anyone who has heard a propcrly 

 restored Italian harpsichord or an accurately made 

 reproduction will agree that the tone of such instru- 

 ments is of exceptional beauty. 



This paper consists of a description of the structural 

 features of two typical Italian instruments and a 

 general discussion of the stringing and tuning of 

 Italian harp.sichords and virginals that is based on 

 certain measurements of 33 instruments hou,scd in 

 various museums in the United States. To the cura- 

 tors and other staff members of these institutions I 

 express my sincere gratitude for making it possible for 

 me to measure valuable instruments entrusted to their 

 care or for su]jplving similar information by mail. 



The first type of instrument described below usually 

 has been designated in modern books about musical 

 instruments and in catalogs of in.<trumcnt collections 

 as a spinet, the term virginal being applied to the 

 rectangular instruments having the keyboard along 

 the long side. Since both of these types have basically 

 the same arrangement of keyboard, wrest plank, hitch 



PAPER 15: IT.ALI.^N H.ARPSICHORD-BUILDING IN THE UiTH .\ND 1 7TH CENTURIES 



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