The orchestra and its instruments . the Crusadersmade their acquaintance and brought them describes the instrument in his Miller sTale, (Canterbury Tales) as a gay sauterie. It ap-pears in that beautiful fresco of Orcagnas, Triumphof Death, in the Campo Santo in Pisa (1348) and inmany illuminated manuscripts of the Middle its likeness to the shape of a pigs head, oldwriters often call it Istromento di porco. Even as late as 1650, when instruments had im-proved so greatly, Kircher wrote in his Musurgiathat the psaltery played with a skilled hand is secondto no other instr
The orchestra and its instruments . the Crusadersmade their acquaintance and brought them describes the instrument in his Miller sTale, (Canterbury Tales) as a gay sauterie. It ap-pears in that beautiful fresco of Orcagnas, Triumphof Death, in the Campo Santo in Pisa (1348) and inmany illuminated manuscripts of the Middle its likeness to the shape of a pigs head, oldwriters often call it Istromento di porco. Even as late as 1650, when instruments had im-proved so greatly, Kircher wrote in his Musurgiathat the psaltery played with a skilled hand is secondto no other instrument, and Mersenne praises itssilvery tone and purity of intonation so easily con-trolled by the fingers. These two instruments wereoften beautifully decorated and inlaid and the sound-holes artistically treated. If we look at the frontispiece we will see thepsaltery, or psalterion, resting on the lap of the ladyon the extreme left, who holds the plectrum delicately,but firmly, in her right hand. But to reach our THE THIRD put: Pat 1^/2 an ^Jiiup- BT — : —— — LICENSED,Dec, i; 1688. RqL Midgky. ..;.?.? / A / VIOLINIST, SINGER, AND LADY PLAYING THE VIRGINAL THE PIANOFORTE 293 modern piano from these two quaint instruments wehave to travel through several centuries. We get into a tangle of names when we stir up theancestors of the pianoforte. The dulcimer andpsaltery are simple enough, but from them we comeimmediately to the clavicembalo (one of the Italiannames for the harpsichord), or gravicembalo, as itwas also called, which name was derived from clavis,a key, and cembalo, a dulcimer. Then we get theFrench clavecin (which comes from clavicymbalum)clavichord, harpsichord, harpsicordo, clavicordo, andclavier. Then in the same group we have the vir-ginal and the spinet, closely allied to these forerunnersof the pianoforte in everything but their names. Students of the piano are often puzzled to knowwhy they are given a Suite de pieces pour le clavecin,or a Prelud
Size: 2231px × 1120px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectmusicalinstruments
