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A clavicytherium is a harpsichord with the soundboard and strings mounted vertically facing the player, the same space-saving principle as an upright piano. [10] In a clavicytherium, the jacks move horizontally without the assistance of gravity, so that clavicytherium actions are more complex than those of other harpsichords.
When the term spinet is used to designate a harpsichord, typically what is meant is the bentside spinet, described in this section. For other uses, see below. The bentside spinet shares most of its characteristics with the full-size instrument, including action, soundboard, and case construction.
Soundboard of a harpsichord with Chladni patterns A portion of the soundboard of a Vose & Sons upright piano No. 15 indicates the Soundboard. A soundboard (occasionally called a sounding board) is the surface of a string instrument that the strings vibrate against, usually via some sort of bridge.
A clavicytherium is a harpsichord in which the soundboard and strings are mounted vertically [1] facing the player. The primary purpose of making a harpsichord vertical is the same as in the later upright piano, namely to save floor space. In a clavicytherium, the jacks move horizontally without the assistance of gravity, so that clavicytherium ...
As in all harpsichords, the strings in the oval spinet are plucked by plectra suspended in jacks, thin vertical strips of wood. Each jack rises from the far end of its key, passes through a guiding register in the soundboard, and terminates adjacent to its assigned string, close enough for the bit of quill held by the jack - the plectrum - to pluck the string.
Diagram of basic harpsichord mechanism in English: Source: Own work: Author: Original by Nojhan, English captions and other edits by Jeff Dahl: Other versions: Numbered version: Image:Clavecin mecanisme.svg
The following diagram illustrates this kind of short octave: In stringed instruments like the harpsichord, the short octave system created a defect: the strings which were tuned to mismatch their keyboard notes were in general too short to sound the reassigned note with good tone quality.
1734 harpsichord by Hieronymus Albrecht Hass, now in the Musical Instrument Museum in Brussels. The instrument shown above, which is nine feet long, illustrates the way in which Hass included the 16-foot stop in his instruments. The 16-foot bridge is seen closest to the bentside, on a separate, slightly raised section of soundboard.