Spinet by Cristofori, B

Single manual; original keyboard compass F1/G1/A1–C3, extended to f3 in 1795; 8' and 4' stops. Registration is controlled by shifting the keyboard. In terms of size and scaling, the instrument is a harpsichord with a laterally placed keyboard, while its construction classifies it as a spinet. To date, only three instruments of this type are known to have survived: the one described here; another unsigned *cembalo traverso*—also highly likely built by Cristofori—now in the US National Museum in Washington; and an instrument built in 1731 by Giovanni Ferrini (Cristofori’s pupil), now in private hands. Bottom board of poplar, 12 mm thick, set between the case walls; the section beneath the keyboard has been replaced. Case walls of linden(?), 13.0–13.5 mm thick, butt-jointed and doweled; only the upper edge veneer is mitered. Single-piece lid, attached to the rear wall with hook hinges. Poplar liner, not extending as far as the soundboard. Internal construction remains unknown. Based on numerous authentic points of correspondence, the instrument can be identified as the work of Bartolomeo Cristofori. Key indicators include traces of workmanship—such as the markings for jack placement on the bottom board, the construction of the bridges, registers, jack tongue slots, and the registration mechanism—as well as the matching keyboard dimensions and the handwriting of the numbering. Cristofori’s authorship can be confirmed here, as the absence of a signature—whether due to loss or original omission—can be plausibly explained.

Credit: Uni Leipzig