Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 4.djvu/321

VIRGINAL. Grove, has been examined with respect to the soundboard barring; we reproduce the diagram showing the barring, exhibited with the instrument in the same collection. Mersenne (Harmonie Universelle, 1636) mentions the skill of the contemporary French spinet- makers in thus preparing their soundboards. But that the Italians were their models is conclusively shown by the Antoni Patavini Spinet of 1550, belonging to Brussels, which we have now been able to examine, and the date of which there is no reason to dispute.

Notwithstanding the statement of Prætorius, we have not found the name Virginal common in the Netherlands. The 'Clavecin Rectangulaire' is 'Vierkante Clavisimbal.' The Ruckers, as well as other Antwerp makers, made these oblong instruments and so called them. Although not bearing upon Virginals, except in the general Old English sense, we take this opportunity to describe the Ruckers instruments that have come to light since the last addition (vol. iii, 652) in the catalogue of them given, pp. 197–9 in the same volume.

Lastly, to complete the short-octave theories put forth in, which we are enabled to do by nearer examination of instruments contributed to the present Historic Loan Collection (1885), the natural keys of the Patavini Spinet mentioned above are marked with their names. The lowest E key is clearly inscribed Do–C; on the next, the F, is written F. This writing is not so early as 1550, because Do was not then used for Ut. The probable date is about one hundred years later, when the solmisation was finally giving way before the simple alphabetic notation. There are other instances. Then as to the cut sharps: the small Maidstone clavichord, said to have been Handel's, has the two nearer or front divisions intended for fourths below the next higher naturals, the two further or back divisions being the usual semitones. The first explanation, as offered in vol. iii, p. 654b, may be therefore assumed to be true, and this, as well as the preceding hypothesis, established as facts. [ A. J. H. ]

VIRGINAL MUSIC, COLLECTIONS OF.

1. The most remarkable, and in many respects the most valuable collection of English 17th century instrumental music is that contained in the volume known for the last century by the misleading name of Queen Elizabeth's Virginal Book. This book, which is now preserved in the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, is a small folio volume containing 220 folios of paper