Spinet

The spinet is a small triangular to pentagonal form of the harpsichord (from the Italian spina, “thorn”, or after the Venetian instrument maker Giovanni Spinetti (around 1500)). It therefore belongs to the keel instruments and the plucked instruments . On these instruments, the strings are plucked with the help of a keel (plectrum) via a plucking mechanism operated by the keyboard. The historical keyboard instruments includes the spinet.

History

As far as we know today, the transverse spinet, also known as the spinet in the narrower sense, was invented by the instrument maker Girolamo Zenti (ca. 1609 – ca. 1668), as the musician, composer, historian and architect Andrea Bontempi reported in 1695. One surviving example of this instrument is a small octave spinet from 1631 in the Musée Instrumental in Brussels, which is attributed to Zenti. Due to his travels to France and England in the 1660s, it is assumed that he also introduced the transverse spinet to these countries.

In France, it was known as the “espinette á l’italienne” (Italian-style spinet) and was particularly popular in England in the late 17th and 18th centuries, where it was known as the “bentside-spinet”. Numerous surviving spinets were made by English harpsichord makers such as Stephen Keene (around 1640 – around 1719) and the Hitchcock family. There are also 14 spinets by Johann Heinrich Silbermann (1727-1799).

Structure

The (transverse) spinet is characterized by strings running at an angle to the keyboard, which allows for a compact design. In contrast to the virginal, the strings are plucked close to and parallel to the keyboard. All key levers are the same size and relatively short, making the touch, especially in the middle and high registers, lighter, more pleasant and with less touch noise than the Virginal. Small and intended for domestic use, the spinet differs significantly from the harpsichord. It usually only has one manual and one 8′ register. The sound is typically silvery and shimmering, yet full.

A special form is the octave spinet, which is smaller and sounds an octave higher in the so-called 4-foot position (4′). Some of these instruments, possibly intended for children, have particularly short keys. Two-manual spinets or spinets with more than one 8′ register are rather rare. The famous harpsichord maker Christofori built spinets with an 8′-4′ disposition, which he called “spinettone da teatro”, apparently for the small orchestra of Italian opera houses.