Italian


	*The Italian harpsichords*


	Italian harpsichords, with their light and resonant casework and long pointed tail, were widely distributed throughout Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. They are extremely appropriate as continuo instruments or for the music of the English Virginalists as indeed for the music of the great Italian composers of the Baroque. Sometimes the Italians sought a broad, resonant and lingering sound and sometimes a more brittle sound to give the angularity for part music. I offer four Italian instruments all built in European cypress wood which give a broad choice of sound.

	The Fitzwilliam Harpsichord. A copy of the exquisite 16th century Venetian harpsichord in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. The dispostion of 3x 8' stops and two 8' soundboard bridges gives a multiplicity of 8' tone. The opportunities this offers to the modern




	The Fitzwilliam Harpsichord

player are unique and exciting for the exploration of much early Italian music. This harpsichord has a surprisingly strong sound for such a light and portable instrument and it gives a rich and sonorous presence which carries well in the largest recital room.

Compass BB/GG - d3 (short octave). Disposition 3x8' Dimensions. Length 198cm. Width 86cm

Giovanni Celestini 1605 (in the Hague Gemeente-Museum.)
The deep case and generously positioned bridge on a spruce soundboard gives a magnificent richness of tone. It is sonorous and full in the bass and tenor, and clear and bell-like in the treble.

Compass GG - e3. Disposition 2 x 8'. Dimensions Length 203cm. Width. 96cm

Vincenzo Sodi 1782.
This very large Italian instrument is for those who search for a versatile continuo instrument and for one with which to explore composers such as Scarlatti and the music of the late eighteenth century. This instrument represents the epitome of development of the Italian harpsichord with is large and very brilliant tone.

Compass GG - f3 Disposition 2 x 8' Dimensions. Length 222cm Width 93cm.

The Italian Spinet.
A copy, in all but decoration, of the Queen Elizabeth's Virginals which is in The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The single 8' tone has a roundness and immediacy which makes this spinet a wonderfully appropriate instrument for much solo keyboard music of the 16th and 17th centuries. It can also be used as a continuo instrument for much consort music. It is an obvious choice for those who are limited on funds and space but who nevertheless require an uncompromising `virginals' sound.