Article Title
Music for the Cimbalo Cromatico and the Split-Keyed Instruments in Seventeenth-Century Italy
Abstract
Related to the arcicembalo, the cimbalo cromatico was a type of harpsichord in use during the late 16th and early 17th c. While most keyboards were tuned in 12-note meantone temperament, limiting the number of available sharps (three) and flats (two), the cimbalo cromatico's 19-note keyboard contained separate keys for all sharps and flats. Though useful, the instrument lacked influence; composers tended to confine themselves to the meantone system, using the more widespread instruments with split keys for the extra notes needed.
Recommended Citation
Stembridge, Christopher
(1992)
"Music for the Cimbalo Cromatico and the Split-Keyed Instruments in Seventeenth-Century Italy,"
Performance Practice Review:
Vol. 5:
No.
1, Article 8.
DOI: 10.5642/perfpr.199205.01.08
Available at:
http://scholarship.claremont.edu/ppr/vol5/iss1/8