Domenico Scarlatti en Espaiia
Actas de 10s Symposia FIMTE 2006-2007
EDITORA: LUISA MORALES
Domenico Scarlatti in Spain
Proceedings of FIMTE Symposia 2006-2007
EDITED BY LUISA MORALES
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MINlsTEl>JO .
DE ASUNTOS ExrERIORES
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Agend. Espoiiola
de Coopencl6n
Intormcional
para. 01 Dosarmllo
Domenico Scarlatti en Espana • Domenico Scarlatti in Spain
© 2009, Asociaci6n Cultural LEAL
Apdo. de Correos 212, Garrucha 04630 AlmeIia
flDlt~lDlte.org
www.fimte.org
Editan: Asociaci6n Cultural LEAL & AECID MIDisteIio de Asuntos Exteriores y de Cooperaci6n
llustraci6n cubierta: Francesco Battaglioli, Femando VI Y Barbaro de Braganza. en los jardines de
Amnjuez, 1756. Museo del Prado, Madrid
ISBN: 978-84-613-1806-3
NIPO: 502-09-055-2
Dep. Legal: B-25.253-2009
Imprime: Artyplan, Barcelona
indice de Contenidos
Indice de flustraciones _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ix
Indice de ejemplos musicales_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ xiv
Indie de Tablas,_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ xv
INTRODUCCION
Luisa Morales _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAlN: AN INTRODUCTION
Luisa Morales _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 15
INSTRUMENTOS DE TECLADO: 1. DE NÀPOLES A LISBOA • KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS:
I. FROM NAPLES TO LISBON
INSTRUMENTOS Y CEMBALARlEN NAPOLES DURANTE EL PERiODO ESPAfwL
Francesco Nocenno _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ 31
THE EARLY NEAPOLITAN SCHOOL OF HARPSICHORD MAKING
John Koster _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 47
CEl\.1BALIFROM BEYOND THE LIGHTHOUSE: HARPSICHORD MAKERS IN SICILY
Giovanni Paolo Di Stefano_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B1
DONATO DEL PIANO: UN ORGANERO NAPOLITANO EN SICILIA (1725-1785)
LucianoBuono _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 101
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION OF GRAND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE'
MEDICI AT THE TIME OF ALESSANDRO Ai'W DOMENICO SCARLATTI'S
JOURNEYS TO FLORENCE, 1702 AND 1705
Giuliana Montanan _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 117
NOTICIAS INÉDITAS SOBRE INSTRUMENTOS DE TECLADO, CONSTRUCTORES Y
MOSICOS EN ROMA, EN LA CORTE DEL PRiNCIPE CARDENAL PIETRO
OTTOBONI ENTRE LOS ANOS 1689 Y 1719
Teresa Chinco _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _----,,..--_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 143
REMARKS ON DOMENICO SCARLATTI'S PORTUGUESE PERlOD (1 7 19-1729)
Gerhard Doderer _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 161
FIMTE •
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAlN
Vll
GIULlAN i\ MONTANARI
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION OF
GRAND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI AT
THE TIME OF ALESSANDRO AND DOMENICO
SCARLATTI'S JOURNEYS TO FLORENCE, 1702-1705
GIULIANA MONTANARI
Reggia Emilia
Ferdinando de Medici (1662-1713), hijo del Gran Duque de Toscana Cosimo III y de
Marguerite Louise d'Orléans • fue hombre de letras ademas de experto en arte y gran
mecenas. De entre sus muchas colecciones, la colecci6n de instrumentos de musica bri­
lla especialmente por su caracter exhaustivo y encicZopédico ya que engloba ejemplares
antiguos, modemos y de nueva invenci6n. Estos aspectos distinguen también sus instru­
mentos de tecZa: 6rganos, cZavi6rganos, cZavecines, espinetas, instrumentos combinados,
cZavicordios y finalmente pianofortes. Cada instrumento es un ejemplar unico y se carac­
tenza por la patemidad de un autor ilustre, por la época de construcci6n, por el tipo de
decoraci6n de la caja, o bien por poseer caracteristicas mecanicas inusuales. Desde el
punto de vista sonoro, la colecci6n indica un evidente interés por parte del coleccionista
en 10s infinitos timbres que resultan de los diferentes tipos de instrumentos y mecanicas
asi como de la utilizaci6n de los diferentes registros. Seguramente Alessandro y Domenico
Scarlatti, como muchos otros musicos de entonces, pudieron conocer y tocar estos instru­
mentos, entre ellos particularmente, el pianoforte, poco antes inventado por Bartolomeo
Cristofori.
Los documentos que se encuentran en el Archivo del Estado de Florencia, peTmiten co­
nocer con cieTto detalle la colecci6n de Ferdinando, que goz6 de una gran fama y ejer­
ci6 considerable influencia en el mundo musical de la época. Este conocimiento puede
ayudamos, entre otras cosas, a contextualizar el origen del pianoforte y a relativizarlo;
a entender porqué este instrumento se difundi6 en las cortes portuguesa y espaiiola en
la primera mitad del siglo XVIII a través de la probable mediaci6n cultural de Domenico
Scarlatti; y viceversa, a entender qué relieve pudo haber tenido en la concepci6n de la
musica para instrumentos de tecZa de Domenico Scarlatti.
omenico Scarlatti and his father are known to have made at least two
visits to the Medici court in Florence. In 1702 they stayed there for
some months and in 1705 Domenico passed through on the way to
Venice. At the court, Scarlatti must have seen, heard and played Grand Prince
Ferdinando de' Medici's keyboard instruments l . Much has been speculated on
the possible connection between these occasions and the subsequent presence
of pianos in the Portuguese and Spanish courts; less has been said about the
D
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
117
THE KE Y80i\RD I NSTRUhi ENT COLLE CTION
ai' GR.".ND PRI NCE FERDINAN DO DS ' ME DICI
FIG . 1. Grand Prince Ferdinando and his musicians by Anton Domenico Gabbiani, c. 1685. Galleria
dell'Accademia, Florence . © Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Galleria Palatina , Florence
impact that the Prince's whole collection might have had on a contemporary
musician such as Scarlatti. Much too has been written about Cristofori's cem­
balo di martelletti, almost as though Prince Ferdinando was hardly interested
in any other instruments . But although Cristofori 's pianos were exceptional at
the time, so too were other special instruments. In fact, the Prince had a huge
collection with many varied and special instruments that would surely have
claimed Scarlatti's attention. More complete archival documents now allow a
reconstruction of this extraordinary collection, undoubtedly the most impor­
tant of the periodo 2
Grand Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, son of the Grand Duke of Tuscany
Cosimo III and Marguerite Louise d 'Orléans was born in 1663 and died in 1713
(Fig. 1) . Because he died before his father , he never became the Grand Duke.
He was a highly intelligent man who cultivated interests in literature, the arts
and science. 3 He collected a variety of objects of artistic value and of fine crafts­
manship. The latter included musical instruments . His keyboard instrument
collection had an encyclopaedic character and comprised old, modern and ex­
perimental examples ofharpsichords, spinets, clavicytheria, clavichords, piano­
fortes, organs, claviorgana and Geigenwercken. The instruments each appear
to have been distinguished for one or more reasons, for instance on account of
118
FIMTE •
DOM EN ICO S CMZLATTI EN
ESP!\ NA
GIULIANA MONTANARl
tpe maker, the type of wood used for the case, the decoration of the case, the
action, or the musical possibilities the instrument offered to the player.
The two principal documents relating to the Prince's instruments, the
inventories of 1700 and 1716, have been made available through modern pub­
lications. 4 They list 38 and 47 keyboard instruments respectively. Such in­
ventories usually record those objects found at the date the inventories were
made and apply to one specific place, however, and indeed, the 1700 and 1716
inventories do not take account of those instruments that were in other du­
cal residences or of other instruments that were on loan to musicians, court
functionaries or members ofthe ducal family . For this reason, neither the 1700
inventory nor that of 1716 can be taken to represent the Prince's entire collec­
tion. Nevertheless, a collation of these two inventories with other unpublished
ones of various dates shows that the collection included a total of 60 keyboard
instruments in 1700 and 79 in 1713, the year Prince Ferdinando died. 5
The 60 keyboard instruments that already belonged to the Prince's col­
lection in 1700 and that could all have been seen by Domenico Scarlatti on his
visits of 1702 and 1705 comprised 22 harpsìchords, 20 spinets, two clavicythe­
ria, eight organs, three claviorgana, two clavichords, one pianoforte and two
Geigenwercken. Between 1701 and 1713, six harpsichords, four spinets, two
organs, three claviorgana, one clavichord and three pianofortes were added to
the collection. 6 The following table summarises these findings:
The inventory
The inventory
of 1700
or 1716
Additions
Tota1s by 1700
between 1701
and 1713
(GM1l17)
(GM1214bis)
Harpsichords
15
13
22
6
Spinets
16
17
20
4
Clavicytheria
2
1
2
Organs
2
5
8
2
3
3
3
-
- ---­
Clauiorgana
Clavichords
2
3
2
1
Pianofortes
l
4
1
3
1
2
47
60
Geigenwercken
Total
38
FIMTE •
19
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
119
TH E K E YBO A RD I i\'STR UMENT C O LLECTION 0 1' G Ro, ND P R INCE FE RDI NAN DO D E' M EDI C I
Although a musician would most likely have been most interested in
how the instruments sounded and the way they worked, the visuaJ impression
.many of them would have made would surely have been cause for wonder. The
cases of the instruments were decorated in different painted styles - grottesco,
faux marble, landscapes with figures, or floral motives - or were covered with
tooled leather or with special fabrics such as brocade, silk and velvet. Some
instruments were made of exotic woods including ebony and grenadilla or were
inlaid with exotic and rare materials including ivory, ebony and snake wood.
Many had cases and stands that were richly carved and gilded.
This paper discusses some selected aspects of the keyboard instrument
collection of Prince Ferdinando de' Med ici, based on source material provided
in the first pIace by a selection of entries from the FIorentine archives. Many
instruments reappear from one inventory to the next, so aJthough some of the
entries come from documents that refer to various times after the death of
Prince Ferdinando , they have been chosen for the information they give about
instruments the Prince had in his collection.
The Prince's collection not only included instruments by maJ<:ers work­
ing during his lifetime but aJso others by famous makers already considered
historical by 1700 . The historicaJ makers included Alessandro Trasuntino and
Domenico da Pesaro (sixteenth century), Giovanni Celestini and Francesco
Palmieri (sixteenth-seventeenth century), and Jacopo Ramerini and Girolamo
Zenti (seventeenth century). The makers who were contemporaries ofthe Prince
included Lorenzo Testa, Giuseppe Mondini and Bartolomeo CristoforÌ. Some of
the older instruments had already belonged to the Medici family before becom­
ing part of the Prince's collection. The Prince had a number of these restored
or redecorated while other, contemporary instruments were purchased or com­
missioned by the Prince from the makers themselves .
The collection as a whole suggests an interest in the variety of tone co­
lours the VarlOUS instruments could produce . Apparently however, it was not
only the differences between the sounds, say , of the harpsichord and the organ
or between the sounds of the piano and the Geigenwerck that would have been
of interest to the Prince, but aJso the differences in sound that could be made
by selecting and combining different stops on a single ins trument.
The usuaJ idea of an Italian harpsichord today is of one with two sets of
8- foot strings or, in the terminology ofthe inventories, two unisono registri (Fig. 2).
Yet of the 22 harpsichords in the Prince's collection in 1700, seven had more than
two registri, two had only a single 8-foot registro, and four had one 8-foot registro
and one 4-foot registro, leaving only nine with just the t'usuaJ" two 8-foot registri.
120
FIMTE •
D O M ENICO S CA RLi\TTI 8N
ESPA"iA
GrULl.'\NA MONTAN ARI
FIG. 2 . The ebony harpsichord by Bartolomeo Cristofori, built in 1693, an instrument with two
8-foot sets of strings, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence. This instrument belonged to
Grand Prince Ferdinando. © Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Galleria dell'Accademia,
Florence
FIMTE •
DotvlENICO SC/\RLATTI IN SPt\IN
121
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION OF GR'IND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MSDICI
This goes some way to contradicting the assumption that Italian harpsichords
generally had only two sets of strings, both at 8-foot pitch.
Of the seven harpsichords with more than two registri, two (one by
Celestini, the other by Ramerini) had four registri and five (two by Zenti, two
by Mondini and one by Bo1cioni) had three registri. The following entries give
details of these seven:
A gravicembolo, with 4 registri, with case, and legs of poplar made by the
hand of RamiriniJ
A cimbalo with four registri by Celestino of Venice made in the year 1594,
with keyboard of ivory, and on the side [name board] above the same there
are four painted miniatures, with its music desk, and case varnished with
gilt arabesques, with its front legs carved. in the form of lion's paws, and
scrolls likewise, and another one the same at [thel back, the whole carved,
and ali gilded. A cover for the said harpsichord of leather, edged with braid of
gold, and over the stitching[,] lined with red taffeta. 8
A cimbalo by Girolamo Zenti removable from [its] case [i.e. an instrument
with a separate outer case] with three registri, that is two principal unisons
and lower octave, with sides and soundboard of cypress, with jack rail, and
mouldings the same[,] with stringing of ebony, with three pierced rosettes,
tl1at is a large one in the middle, a medium-sized one at [the] back, and a
small one at the top close to the jacks, with keyboard of ivory, and ebony,
that begins at cisolJaut [C] full octave Ii.e. chromatic, not with a short oc­
tave], and ends atJaJaut 1f3], with fifty-four keys in number, including white
ones, and black ones, without split ones [i.e . without split sharps], and on
the front side [the name board] stands written Hyeronimus de Zentis Jaciebat
Romae Anno Dm MDCLVIlJ; in length five braccia, and eleven soldi, width at
the front one braccio, and nine soldi with its music stand of cypress, and
its outer case lined inside with Attabi silk with gilded ground, and crimson
arabesques, and outside with crimson brocade [o~ Attabi silk with Ilowers
of gold, and embellished with fringes, and trimming of go Id and crimson,
with small gilded studs, and its lock, and side latches[,] with its cover of red
leather, lined with crimson taffeta, and edged with trimming of gold, and
crimson, with its separate legs gilt, and carved, that represent three harpies,
with dolphin taiJs. 9
A cimbalo by Girolamo Zenti not removable from [its] case [i.e. a so-called
false inner-outer, or integral case], with three registri, that is two principal
unisons, and tiorbino, with soundboard of fir, and pierced, and rosette in
the middle pieced, and gilded, wit11 outer sides painted in imitation of red,
and white marble, witl1 black stripes at the extremities [edges?], and inside,
painted in black, with the mouldings gilded, with its music stand the sarne,
and its keyboard of boxwood, and ebony, with five split ones among the
black ones in Ithel middle, that starts at gisolreut IGG] full octave, and ends
at cisolfaut [c3], with fifty-rune keys in number, including wrute, black and
split ones, and on the side at [the] front Iname board] stands written in let­
ters of gold with some arabesques Hyeronimus de Zentis Romanus Jaciebat in
civitate Holmie allno Domini 1653, length four braccia, and nine soldi, width
at the front one braccio, and ten soldi, with its outer case of plain fu, and its
cover of red leather lined with green taffeta edged with ribbon of gold. 10
122
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCARLAHI SN ESPANA
GIULlANI\ MONT!\NARl
A cimbalo by the Priest Gioseppe Mondini called the Priest of Imola remov­
able from [its] case with three registri, that is two principals and tiorbino
unisons, with soundboard without rosette[,] of cypress, sides, and mou1d­
ings the same [i.e. of cypress], with stringing of ebony, and jack rai! also of
cypress, with stringing, and [a] strip in the middle of ebony, with keyboard of
boxwood, and ebony, that starts at giso/reut [GG] full octave, and ends at ci­
solfaut [c3], with fifty-three keys in number, inc\uding white ones, and black
ones without split ones, length four braccia, and a quarter, width at the front
one braccio, and eight soldi, with an inscription engraved on the block at the
front, that says Joseph Mondini Imo/en. M.DCLXXXVIl, with its music stand of
cypress, and outer case ofplain fìr, and its cover ofyellow leather, lined with
canvas, and edged with ribbon of yellow thread. 1 J
A cimbalo by the Priest Gioseppe Mondini, called the Priest of Imola, remov­
able from [its] case with three registri, that is two principals, and tiorbino
unisons, with soundboard of fir without rosette, sides , and mouldings of
cypress, with stringing of ebony, and jack rail with stringing, and a strip in
the middle of ebony, wi th keyboard of boxwood , and ebony, that starts at
gisolreut [GG] full octave, and ends at cisolfaut [c3] without split ones, with
fifty-three keys in number, inc\uding white ones, and black ones, length four
braccia and a trurd, width at the front one braccio, and nine soldi, with an
inscription engraved on the block at the front that says Joseph Mondini Imo/.
M.DCLXXXVIII, with its music s tand of cypress, and outer case of plain flf,
lock and side latches , and its cover of yellow leather, lined with canvas, and
edged wi th ribbon of yellow thread . 12
One large ditto [cimbalol of three registri with case of cypress, keyboard of
ebony, and ivory, and its music s tand with t\Vo drawers under the keyboard,
and its outer case painted in part in red, with arabesques in gold, and on
the part of the walilined with red velvet with its stand with small f1uted col­
umns[,] painted landl in parl gildedj,1 work of Stefano Bolcioni da Prato. A
cover of yellow printed [tooled?] leather for the said [instrument].13
The tiorbino in the descriptions of the other harpsichord by Zenti and in those
of both instruments by Mondini probably consisted of an additional stop using
a set of plucked gut strings. 14
The harpsichord with four stops by Celestino of Venice made in the
year 1594 can with considerable certainty be identified as the harpsichord by
Celestini dated 1594 in private ownership in Florence (Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) .15
The modern expectation that a spinet has a single set of 8-foot strings is
also in part contradicted by the inventories . Two spinets for instance, the spe­
eial oval-shaped ones by Cristofori made for Prince Ferdinand, had two sets of
8-foot strings: 16
A spinetta by Bartolomeo Cristofori of oval shape removable from [its] case
with two principal registri unisoni [i.e both at 8-foot pitch], with so undboard
of cypress, and pierced rosette in the middle, with sides of rosewood, and
mouldings of ebony, with s tringing of ivory ; with jack rai! in pyramid [shapel,
and music stand the same, in which there is a pediment of ebony with the
FIMTE •
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
123
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION OF GRAND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI
FIG. 3. Harpsichord by Giovanni Celestini, 1594, private ownership, Florence. This instrument
originally had four registri, probably two sets of strings at 4-foot pitch and twa at 8-foot pitch
FIG. 4. Harpsichord by Giovanni Celestini, 1594. Detail showing one of the four miniatures in the
name baard above the keyboard. This depicts Apollo and Pan
124
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCAPLATTI EN ESPANA
GIULIANA MONTANARI
most serene [Medici] arrns inlaid \v:ith ivory, with keyboard of ivory, and eb­
ony, with the first two black ones split, which serve as the octave of fafaut,
and gisolreut sharp [F# and G#I , that starts at cisolfaut [e] in sesta [in sixth,
Le. an octave within a sixth or C/E short octavel and ends with cisolfaut
[c3], with forty-seven keys in number including white ones, black ones, and
split ones, with two springs of iron in the end-blocks of the keyboard, that
serve for registration [changing the registnl, with a drawer at the front, at the
level of the keyboard, on the inside of which stands written Bartholomaeus
Cristophnr1 Patauinusfaciebat Florentiae M.DCXC, with its outer case of plain
r11", and cover of red leather lined with crimson Ormuz silk, bordered with rib­
bon of gold, \v:ith its turned legs covered in pear painted in black, and joined
by cross-members the sarne; with a support, in which the above mentioned
spinetta is fitted, with a moulding in ebony, that surrounds it all. 17
A spinetta by Bartolomeo Cristofori of oval shape removable from lits] case
with two principal registri unisoni [i.e both at 8-foot pitchJ, with soundboard,
sides, pyrarnid[-shapedl jack rall, and music stand of cypressLI the whole
with intarsia, and with stringing of ebony, with mouldings of ebony [withl
stringing of boxwood, with bridges of ebony, and in the middle a carved ro­
sette, with stringing of ebony, with keyboard of boxwood, and ebony, inlaid
with little shields of ebony, and with stringing, partly in ebony, and partly in
boxwood 1.1 without split ones, that begins with cisolfaut [C] full octave, and
ends in cisolfaut [c3J, with forty-nine keys in number, including white ones,
and black ones, with two Ìron springs in the end-blocks of the keyboard, that
serve for registration [changing the registri], with a drawer at the front at the
level of the keyboard, on the inside of which stands written Bartholomaeus
C,istophon Patauinus faciebat Florentiae M.DCXCIII; with its outer case of
plain fiI', and cover of red leather lined with crimson taffeta, and bordered
with a ribbon in gold, and crimson. 18 (Fig. 6).
Both these oval-shaped spinets still exist, the one of 1690 in Florence and the
other, of 1693, in Leipzig. 19
The descriptions in the inventories correspond remarkabIy well to the
extant instruments, especialIy with regard to the keyboards and decoration,
both different in the two instruments, since the instruments have not been sig­
nificantIy altered. The word pyramid, used to refer to the jack raiis and music
stands, probably refers to the shape of the jack raii in pIan view (Fig. 6).
Another instrument by Cristofori mentioned in various inventories was a
spinettone built in 1692. It had two registri, but in this case one was at 8-foot
pitch and the other at 4-foot pitch:
A spinettone da orchestra by Bartolomeo Cristofori, not removable from (its]
case with two stops, that is principal, and ottava, with soundboard of cy­
press, and rosette in the middle, witl, outer sides in fiI', that serve as case for
the said spinettone, and inside veneered with cypress, with a jack rall, and
a smalI board, where the tuning pins are [to be foundl and another small
board, where the strings are attached, alI with mouldings also of cypress, with
keyboard of boxwood and ebony, that starts in gisolreut [GG], full octave, and
FIMTE •
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
125
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION
or
GRAND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI
FIG. 5. The ovili spinet by Bartolomeo Cristofori built in 1690, now in the Galleria dell'Accademia,
Florence. © Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence
FIG. 6. The ovili spinet by Bartolomeo Cristofori built in 1693, now in the Musikinstrumenten­
Museum, Leipzig
126
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCAI~LATTI EN ESPANA
GIULlAN,.\ MONTAN A RI
ends with cisolfaut 1c31 without split ones Isplit sharps}, with fifty-three keys
in number, including white ones, and black ones, length three braccia, and
three-eights, width from chest to kidney Ii.e. at the widest point] one braccia,
and three soldi, at the front one braccia, and three-quarters, with two sp rings
of iron in the end-blocks, that serve for registration, and two small knobs of
ebony, with a little drawer on the right, with its music stand of cypress, and
hinged lid of fir, and two locks, with its cover of yellow leather, lined with
canvas, bordered with ribbon with small yellow thread 20
The specification of the greatest width of this instrument strongly suggests a
transverse spine t which, unlike a rectangular instrument or a harpsichord,
has a varying width. Cristofori very 1ikely made such instruments; the cembalo
traverso in the Leipzig collection is almost certainly by him (Fig. 7).21
The collection also included another spinet by Giuseppe Mondini, with
two sets of strings, one at 8-foot pitch, the other at 4-foot pitch:
A spi netta by the Priest Gioseppe Mondirti, called the Priest of lmola[,] remov­
ab le from lits] case, with two registri, that is principal and ottavina, with
soundboard of cypress without rosette , sides, and mouldings the same, with
st ringing of ebony, and jack rail also of cypress, with stringing, and a strip
FIG. 7. Transverse spi.net by Bartolomeo Cristofori, now in the Musikinstrumenten-Museum,
Leipzig
FIMTE •
DOMENICO SC/\RLATTI IN SPAIN
127
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION OF GR"IND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI
in centre of ebony, with keyboard of boxwood, and ebony, with the two first
black ones split, that serve the octave, for fafaut, and gisolreut sharp IF#
and G#J. that begins with cisolfaut [C] in sesta, and ends in cisolfaut [c3].
with forty-seven keys in number, white ones black ones, and split ones [split
sharpsJ. with a small button at the front on the end-block of the keyboard,
that serves for registration, and its music stand of cypress, with its outer
case of plain fir, and cover of yellow leather lined with canvas, bordered with
ribbon with small yellow thread 22
Some of the spinets with only one stop are described in the inventories as small
and could therefore have been instruments at 4-foot. The dimensions of these
instruments are not given in the descriptions, however, so the pitches remain
unknown. Other more certain exceptions to the present-day idea of the spinet
as an instrument with a single 8-foot stop include two instruments, each of
which seems to have consisted of two small spinets. In both cases they were
apparently twins, or at any rate companions, that could be played together
or separately. They were placed one on top of the other, and could perhaps
be played together from the keyboard of the lower spinet, in an arrangement
similar to that found in Flemish mother-and-child virginals. In the spinet by
Niccolò Berti only one outer case is mentioned (and perhaps a further single
travelling case as well) whereas for the double instrument by Giovanni Battista
Magnelli, two outer cases are described.
Two smaU companion spinettine by the same maker [Berti] remo vabI e from case
with one registro only, with sides, and soundboard of cypress without rosette,
with mouldings, jack rai!, and music stand the same, \vith keyboard of boxwood,
and ebony without split ones [i.e no split sharps], that starts at cisolfaut in sesta
[short octave starting with e/E or c/eJ. and ends in cisolfaut [c3 or c4J. with
forty-five keys in number, including wrute ones, and black ones, with a smaU
board at the front above the keyboard that [may be]lifted, and replaced, that is
secured by three pins of cypress, with a box with its lid at the level of the key­
board, and two black end-blocks, with its outer case of plain fir 23
A spinetta by Father Cio Batta Magnelli removable from [its] case with one regis­
tro only, with soundboard of fu without rosette, without parapets [presumably
the sides nonnaliy above the soundboard] with jack rai!, and smaU moulding of
cypress, that are applied around, and set on the edges of the said soundboard,
with keyboard \vith wrute ones of juju be, and black ones inlaid with small strips,
of ivory, of boxwood, of jujube, and of ebony, with a small turned knob of ivory,
\vithout split ones that starts at cisolfaut in sesta, and ends in cisolfaut [c3 or
c4[, with[,l in no.[,l forty-five keys in ali, and at the corners of the said spinet
there are three fixed pins of ivory, on wruch, after removing the keyboard, is
placed another second similar spinetta by the same author and of the same
making, that is joined, and secured by two smaU hooks, wruch second spinetta,
having replaced its keyboard, can be played the same as the other, with both of
their outer cases ofwrute poplar with mouldings ali around with their covers of
yellow leather, lined with canvass, and edged with yellow ribbon of thread. 24
128
FIMTE •
DOMENICO
SCJ\RLJ\Tfl
EN
ESPAI'lA
GIULIANi\ MONTANARI
The use of strings made of materials such as gut or gold, both unfamiliar to­
day, may have had to do with a search for ways of making instruments with
different timbres. Two of the small spinets, one by Girolamo Zenti, the other
anonymous, had gold strings:
A spinetta by Girolamo Zenti, removable from [its] case with one registro only,
with the strings of gold, with soundboard of fir, ali painted with foliage, and
flowers with a butterfly, with pierced rosette in Ithe] middle, around [which
is] painted a garland of diverse flowers, with sides, mouldings, music stand
and jack rail of cypress, on which stands written Hyeronimus de Zentis feci!
Pansijs anno Domini 1668, with keyboard of ebony, and ivory, with the sec­
ond key split, that serves the octave for elami moli [e flatI. that starts with
gisolreut in sesta [GG/BB or GIB short octave], and ends in cisoifaut [c3 or
c4], with fifty-one keys in no., including black ones, white ones, and spLit
ones, with its outer case of fir covered outside with red sumach [tanned
leather] tooled in gold, and inside of the colour of timber; the said spinetta
is of an oblong shape, but made square by means of a small cupboard that
is inside, with its cover of yellow leather, lined with canvas, and edged with
ribbon of yellow thread. 25
A spinetta removable from [its) case with one registro only, with the strings of
gold, soundboard of fir, and pierced rose in [the] middle, with sides, mould­
ings, and jack rail of ebony, ali with stringing of ivory, and on the board at
the front there are three areas, with foliage i.nlaid in ivory, with three pins of
ivory, that support another small removable board, that [may be] tal<en out,
and replaced, with keyboard of boxwood, and ebony without split ones [i.e.
no split sharps], that starts at cisoifaul in sesta rCI E or cl e short octave],
and ends with cisoifaut Ic3 or c41, with forty-five keys in no., including white
ones and black ones, with its outer case lined inside in green attabi silk with
waves [in the design], and outside with green satin, garnished with smaJl
ribbon of gold, with gilded studs, and gilded lock, with red calf-skin cover,
edged with ribbon of green thread, and lined with green fustian, with buckle,
and straps for fastening 26
This instrument, shown from the back, is most probably the one included in
a painting by Anton Domenico Gabbiani showing three of Prince Ferdinando's
musicians (Fig. 8). The instrument is obviously small in size , suggesting 4-foot
pitch. The gold strings would have to have been much shorter than brass ones
to avoid them breaking however, so this spinet might possibly have been at
8- foot pitch. In the painting, the instrument is shown without its outer leather
cover but inside its outer case. The gold ribbon on the edge of the case, by now
familiar from a number of descriptions, is clearly shown.
Out of a total of twenty spinets in the collection, six had two registri, and
two could be combined with a brother spinet to make a two-manual instru­
mento From the above descriptions it is clear that by no means alI the Prince's
spinets were at 8-foot pitch.
FIMTE •
DOMENICO SCARLATII IN SPAIN
129
THE Klè YBOAR D INSTRUM ENT COLLECTIOi':
or
GRA N D PRIN CE FERDI NANDO DE' MED ICI
FIG. 8. Three oJ Prince Ferdinando's musicians by Anton Domenico Gabbiani, c. 1687. Galleria
dell'Accademia, Florence. © Ministero per i Beni e le Attività CulturaJj , Galleria Palatina, Florence
The Geigenwercken in the collection might be judged today as mere his­
torical curiosities; to the Prince however, they may have been as important in
his collection as the new pianos by Cristofori. One of the Geigenwercken may
have been an instrument that had belonged to the Medici for a long time, built
by Francesco Palmieri for Emilio de' Cavalieri. Although Prince Ferdinando in­
cluded it in his collection, this old instrument may not have been playable:
To [The] Most Serene Prince Ferdinando the following ins truments deLivered
to his chamber
a strumento di tasti called the c oncert ofviols, that plays by means ofwheels[,]
out of order[,] rests on three legs and is called salta martino. 27
Another Geigenwerck, one that the Prince had put into order, was described in
some detail in the 1716 inventory:28
130
FIMTE •
D O MENI CO SO RLATTI EN
ESP1\.I'lA
GIULIANA MONTI\NARI
A cimbalo with keyboard of ivory, with [the] invention of five wheels for touch­
ing the strings of gut as in the manner of a hurdy-gurdy, painted red, with
[inlaid] stringing of gold, with panels covered with red darnask, with its
carved stand, painted in similar colour, and gilded, with its over cover of
leather lined with c1oth 29
There were two clavichords, both anonymous, one di Alemagna, that is, "from
Germany", and the other probably Italian:
A sordino [c1avichord] di Alemagna with fir soundboard, and removable rail of
walnut, and positioned with two small wires of brass wire with red c10th un­
derneath, with keyboard in sesta of maple and ebony, that starts at cisolfaut
[CI E], and ends at cisolfaut [c3] witl1 two split ones [split sharpsl, that is the
first two black ones, that serve for the octave to fafaut, and gisolreut sharp
[i.e. the F# and G# keys are both split, giving D as weU as F# and E as well
as G# respectivelyl, with forty-seven keys in no. inc1uding white ones, black
ones and split ones, with some small mouldings of walnut inside, that run
alI around; the lid lined inside with red paper, with arabesques, and birds
printed in gold, and the outside case painted in the manner of variegated
marble, with a small covered lock, and its key, with three cubes of wood un­
derneath far putting [itJ on 30
A sordino with soundboard of fir, and sides of cypress, and a removable box
the same [i.e. of cypressl. and positioned with two balls of ebony, that serves
to cover the pIace where the strings are attached, alI studded with little but­
tons of ivory, and two other small boxes at the corners, with keyboard in
sesta of ivory, and ebony, that starts at cisolfaut rCIEI. and ends at fafaut
[f3J with ftfty keys in no., inc1uding white ones, and black ones without split
ones (i.e. no split sharps], with case of white poplar, and inside painted red
with its lock, without key, and without latch 31
The organs in Prince Ferdinando's collection may be divided into two types: the
larger positive organs, probably stationary or in any case not easy to transport,
and the smaller, easily transportable organs. In 1700 there were five organs of
the first kind, some ofthem perhaps by Francesco Palmieri,32 although restored
and perhaps extensively modified. Two of these large organs were described as
follows:
An organo with one registro, with in no. fifty-five pipes of cypress, inc1uding
large ones, and small ones, with three bellows and its accoutrements 33
An organo with two registri, with 123 pipes in no., inc1uding large ones, and
small ones, with bellows and its accoutrements 34
Another of the large organs, known from various documents to have been built
in 1693 by Cristofori, had only wooden pipes and was fixed in the wall of the
Prince's harpsichord room (camera dei cembalr):
FIMTE.
DOMENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
131
THE- KEYBO,,,RD INSTRUMENT COLl,ceTION
or
GRl\ND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDJCI
An organo with square pipes of cypress, flxed into the wall in the room of
the harpsichords, with keyboard of cypress, with a plank in front of the said
pipes painted green [and withl arabesques of gold, amxed to which two ten­
drils of gilded brass [probably candel holdersl, with its bellows, and other
accoutrements 35
One of the portative organs, known from another inventory to have had a prin­
cipaI (with wooden pipes), an octave and a fIute, had a stop consisting of three
octaves of metaI bells:
An organo with pipes of wood, and keyboard of boxwood, and ebony, with a
concert of small bells of EngUsh bronze, with its screen at the front of white
Ormuz silk LI al] painted with arabesques, Dowers, and birds of many sorts,
secured on a frame. 36
Another quite extensive organ was enclosed in a case with handles, presum­
ably for carrying it:
A portable organo offive registri, made in the fashion of a wing with pipes of lead,
of which (wenty of tin in the main facade at the front, with a crossbar in front
of the said pipes, and omamented al] around with gilt carving, with keyboard
of bm,'wood, and ebony without split ones, that starts at cisolfaut in sesta [e/E
short octave!. and ends at cisolJaut [c3], with forty-five keys in no., including
white ones, and black ones, ",.]th its device for lifting, and positioning for nine
pedals, with its case painted deep blue, with arabesques, and gilded mouldings,
with its beUows pulleys, and cords for lifting them, al] enc10sed in [a] case also
painted, and gilded as above, \vith its handles of iron, hinges, and locks. 37
The smaIler type of organs included three others: an organetto with one flute
stop and two regaI stops, a cabinet-1ike organ with a single stop in lead, and a
smalI organ in a box with "water contrivances":
A shoulder organetto with three registri, (wo of which zampogne [a reed stop],
and one with pipes of wood al] in one piece, with keyboard of ivory, and ebony,
that starts at cisolJaut in sesta [e/E short octave], and its bellowsLI with some
carvings in wood above, which small organ [canI ali be enc10sed in a box with
its lock. 38
A small organetto of about one braccia for each side, with pipes of tin and
case of walnut, built in the form of a cabinet,39
An organino a cassetta [small organ in a box] alI covered with tin with ara­
besques, and decorated with a balustrade on top, that consists of three strips
[i.e. a parapet on three sides of the top of the box], with six small statues the
same [in tinI. with fountain in the middle, and inside pipes, and other water
contrivances, with (wo small bellows lined with fed satin, with little fringes
ali round in red silk, and gold, with keyboard of (wo registri of boxwood, and
132
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCARLATTI EN ESPAI'iA
G IULI A NA MONTANARI
pear, han dIes of gilt iron, with ribbons, and tassels of red silkL] width brac­
cia l';' length braccia l 1/6 [and[ height at the greatest braccia 1[,[ with four
little masks on the corners for each leg. ~o
Of the claviorgana in the collection by 1700,41 one consisted of an organ with
two registri, a principal and a flute, together with a harpsichord that probably
had one eight-foot stop and a tiorbino stop, another combined a one-stop harp­
sichord with an organ and a third one, which combined a buonaccordo42 with
an organ, was a portable instrument, enclosed in a walnut case with handles:
A graviorgano that does [for a] cimbalo, [anI organo, and [a] tiorba, with key­
board of ivory, and ebony with case of cypress, and an outer case ali painted
deep blue and with arabesques of gold , or rather with antique green and with
arabesques in gold, and (as) now its stand at the frontl ,[ that serves as case
for the bellows[',] painted antique green, and with arabesques in gold with
sides painted in oil [of a] landscape with figures, and the rest in dee p blue
taffeta respectively with arabesques[,] ali gilded, supported by a balustrade
stand ali carved [and] painted deep blue, and gilded in part, with its cover of
dark blue leather with a ribbon to tie [it[43
A graviorgano, and strumento, of cypress of Crete with one registro, with
its case alI covered with plain red velvet garnished with ribbon of gold, and
nailed with small studs of brass, and inside covered with red damask gar­
nished, and s tudded likewise; with case for the bellows, that serves as a
base for the said instrument, painted red, with [inlaid[ stringing of gold with
[the[ Arms of Balls [Medici arms] and the Maltese Cross, at the fronts 44
An instrument that serves as organ, and bonaccordo, with case of walnut
or rather ofwood painted walnutL] height braccia lV2[,[ width braccia 7/8[,[
length braccia 23/5[,[ with 4 handles of iron to insert the shafts [to carry
it[45
One of the claviorgana documented after 1700 combined a clavichord by
Domenico da Pesaro and an organ:
A sordino by Domenico da Pesaro, with graviorgano, "vith case of poplar painted
in a dark colour. 46
Another combined in a cabinet a small organ with four registers (three ofwood­
en pipes and one regal stop) with a spinet, and the last one was a special
instrument in which an organ "with different wooden registri and one of tin"
could be coupled with a harpsichord and two small spinets. The spinets could
also be taken out of the case and played separately. The combined quill instru­
ment, consisting of the harpsichord and the two spinets, that "can be played
from two sides", is repeatedly mentioned in documents from 1670 onwards;
FIMTE •
DOMEN ICO SCARLAT rI IN SPAIN
133
THE KEYBOARD INsTRuM8NT COL LECTi ON Or GRA ND PRIN CS FERDIN:\NDO DE ' MEDICI
the work of combining it with an organ was carried out at the behest of Prince
Ferdinando:
An organetto in form of a cabine t with a keyboard of ivory with four registri,
of which three with wooden pipes, and the other one a regal, with a spin­
ettina inside that [may bel taken out, and replaced with similar keyboard,
with soundboard of ftr, and above the said spinet is found inside a drawerLI
covered outside with black worked velvet[,1 with small ring pulls with ara­
besques of gilt co pper, with door in the middle with crystal, ali of pear wood
painted black witb square panels outside on the front sides covered with
black worked velvet with beUows lifted from above. 47
An organ with diverse registri of wood, and one of tin, with one as regal with
its bellows, above which a harps ic hord with one registro, and two spinettine
with keyboards of ivory, tbe black ones of glass, with its case of walnut 48
Between 1700 and 1713 the Prince added to his collection another clavichord,
again by Domenico da Pesaro , another small organ, a large positive organ by
Lorenzo Testa with seven stops and three cembali a martelletti by Cristofori .
There were also various quilled instruments, among them an Antwerp harpsi­
chord with three stops (two at 8-foot pitch and one at 4-foot pitch) and lastly
a folding harpsìchord by Jean Marius, also with two 8-foot stops and a 4-foot
stop . These addìtions to the collection clearly point to the Prince's interest in a
variety of instruments and in a variety of different sounds.
Tone colour was however not the only parameter according to which
Ferdinando's keyboard instrument collection varied. Diversity in pitch was
represented by the 16-foot, the 8-foot, the 4-foot and (possibly) the 2-foot harp­
sichord stops and by the various organ registers . An interest in going beyond
the usual availability of keyboard notes is demonstrated by the harpsichords
starting in the bass with GG instead of the usual C, by some instruments with
more than twelve keys to the octave and by harpsichords with transposition
devices. Although none of the transposing instruments has been mentioned
here, one instrument serves as an example: documented for the first time in
1698, it had a device that allowed of transpositions through twelve consecu­
tive semitones. Variation in volume was available in many of the Prince's in­
struments, either by adding or ex cluding stops in harpsichords, organs and
claviorgana, or by modifying the pressure of the touch in clavichords , pianos,
and Geigenwercke n.
This short survey makes clear that Prince Ferdinando's collection, as it
would have been seen by Domenico Scarlatti in Florence in 1702, contained a
most extraordinary and arnazing display of instruments, offering a wide-ranging
diversity of tone colours, more than can even be imagined today. The gathering
134
FIMTE • DOMENICO S CA RLATTI EN
ESPANA
GIULIANA MONTANARI
of alI the possible timbres, including the sounds of a variety of harpsichords
with differing sets of stops, harpsichords with plectra and some with hammers,
the sounds of clavichords, organs and Geigenwercken, and the sounds made
possible by coupling organ registers and harpsichord stops in the various clavi­
organa, seems indeed to have been the fundamental principle on which the
prince built his collection. It is then only realistic to imagine that this would
have been the aspect of the collection that most impressed Scarlatti, a musi­
cian and a composero Perhaps the Prince himself and perhaps Scarlatti too had
no special reasons at the time to single out the particular sound qualities of the
piano for attention. The harpsichord with hammers was, after all, not the only
instrument that could play forte and piano and, from the point ofview ofhaving
a variety of tone colours, it was just one voice among the many the Prince had
collected around himself.
Notes on the entries in the inventories and their translation
In the entries, the decorative aspects of the instruments and other more tech­
nical aspects are often described in some detail. The keyboard range and the
number of registri are usually both given . The term registri probably refers to
the number of stops (sometimes called registers today) available and the num­
ber of them is usually equivalent to the number of sets of strings on the instru­
ment to which the entry refers. However, it is not always clear whether each of
these sets of strings could be selected separately in the manner in which differ­
ent sets of pipes on an organ can be selected.
EquivocaI words such as registri are given here without translation. Such
words, as well as inscriptions or names given in the entries, are given in ital­
ics to indicate that they are as in the original . Some dimensions are also usu­
ally given in the entries and these have been left using the FIorentine units of
measurement used in the descriptions. The braccio and soldo might roughly
be translated as "foot" and "inch". The word filetto has been translated by the
English "stringing", a word used in the description of furniture to denote the
long narrow strips ofwood or other material, sometimes only a millimetre wide,
often of ebony or ivory, inset into the extemal surface of pieces of furniture to
make decorative !ines. The word spezzati, clearly used to refer to so-called split
sharps (that is, to the accidentals in a keyboard that are divided, usually front
and back, such that they play more than one note), has been translated by the
words "split ones" and in each context explained in square brackets, The so­
called short octave, given by the words in sesta, usually meant that a keyboard
FIMTE •
DOl\'lENICO SCARLATTI IN SPAIN
135
THE KEYBOAIW INSTRUME NT COLLECTION OF GRo\ ND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDI C I
beginning with keys that appeared as E, F, F#, G, G#, A and so on would sound
C, F, D, G, E, A and so on chromatically. The opposite of this space-saving ar­
rangement was the ottava stesa, a full octave in which each key sounded the
note that would normally be expected today . The originai punctuation, which
by no means conforms to modern punctuation, has been given as in the origi­
nai. Where confusion might occur, some tentative punctuation has been added
in square brackets. ltems that might seem arcane to the modern reader, for in­
stance the use of note names using the hexachord system, have also been given
as in the originai (but in italics) and clarified within square brackets.
Acknowledgments
I am indebted to Donatella Degiampietro for her constant support and to
Michael Latcham, not only for his valuable advice but also for helping me to
write the English version of the paper, both as it was given in Spain and as
the present article. I would also like to thank the staff of the State Archive of
Florence for so kindly going out of their way to help me.
NOTES
On Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti's rela tionship with Prince Ferdinando see Mario Fabbri,
Alessandro Scarlatti e il Principe Ferdinando de' Medici, Firenze, 1961, passim.
2 The documents quoted in this article form only a small portio n of those unearthed by the a u­
thor's recent research. The collation of alI the documents continues and will result in more com­
plete essays on Prince Ferdinando's keyboard instruments in the future .
3 See Leto Puliti , "Della vita del ser.mo Ferdinando dei Medici granprincipe di Toscana e della
origine del pianoforte: cenni storici. Memoria letta nell'adunanza del dì 7 dicembre 1873", Atti
della Accademia del R. Istituto Musicale di Firenze Xli, 1874, pp. 92-240, offprint, Firenze , 1874,
pp. 3-44.
, AD the archival documen ts quoted in the present article are in the State Archive in Florence.
The inventory of 1700, Inventario di diverse sorti d'instrumenti in proprio del Ser.mo Sig.r P.n.pe
Ferdinando di Toscana, is in the State Archive in Florence, Guardaroba Medicea 1117, and was pu­
blis hed in Vinicio Gai, Gli s trumenti musicali della co rte medicea e il Museo del Conservatorio "Luigi
Cherubini" di Firenze. Cenni storici e catalogo descrittivo, Firenze 1969, pp. 6-22. The inventory of
1716, in the Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis , is tran scribed in Puliti, "Della vita" pp. 99-1 07.
5 The research continues , however, so that although the numbers given here are probably close to
historical reality, they are provisional .
6 The pianofortes extant in 1713 are in the opinion ofthe au thor the "Tre cimbali ad un registro, opera
di Bartolommeo Cristofori" (HThree cimbali with one stop by Bartolommeo Cris tofori") and "Un ' cim­
balo ad un registro opera di Bartolommeo Cristofori" ("One cimbalo with one stop by Bartolommeo
Cristofori") lis ted in Guardaroba Medicea 124 1 b is, inventario di strumenti, 23.9.1716, nos. lO and
76. By 1713 the word cimba lo could mean both harpsichord and pianoforte. That cim balo might
mean pianoforte in these entries will be discussed in a forthcoming article .
7 "Un gravicembolo, a 4 registri, con cassa, e piedi di albero fatto di mano Rarnirini", Guardaroba
Medicea 373, "inventario generale della Guardaroba", 11.6.1618, f. 841.
A "Un cimbalo a quattro registri di Celestino ventiano [sic] fa tto l'anno 1594, con tasta tura d'avorio,
e nella fascia sopra la medesima vi sono quattro quadretti di miniature, con s uo leggio, e cassa
J
136
FIMTE • DOMENI CO SCARLATTI EN E SPANA
GIULI ANA MONTANARI
verniciata a rabeschi dorati, con suo piede d'avanti intagliato a zampe di leone, e cartelle simi­
li, et altro simile in fondo, il tutto intagliato, e tutto dorato. Una coperta per detto cimbalo di
corame, contornata di galloncino d'oro, e su le cuciture foderata di taffetà rosso', Guardaroba
Medicea appendice, 'debitori della Guardaroba', 1.7.1755, L 275r.
9 "Un cimbalo di Girolamo Zenti levatoro di cassa a tre registri, cioè due principali unisoni, et otta­
va bassa, con fascie e fondo di cipresso, con traversa, e scorniciatura simile con filetto d'ebano,
con tre rose traforate, cioè una grande nel mezzo, una mezzana in fondo, et una piccola in cima
vicino a' salterelli, con tastatura d'avorio, et ebano, che comincia in cisolfaut ottava stesa , e fi­
nisce in fafaut, con n.O cinquanta quattro tasti, tra bianchi, e neri, senza spezzati, e nella fascia
d'avanti vi sta scritto Hyeronimus de Zentis Jaciebat Romae Anno Dm MDCLVIlI; lungo braccia
cinque, e soldi undici, largo nel d 'avanti un braccio, e soldi nove con suo leggio di cipresso, e sua
controcassa foderata per di dentro di tabi con fondo dorato , e rabeschi cremisi, e per di fuora
di tabì cremisi broccato con fiori d'oro , e guarnita di frangie, e passamano d'oro e cremisi, con
bottoncini dorati, e sua toppa, e chiavistelli laterali con sua coperta di cuoio rosso, foderata eli
taffetà cremisi, e orlata di passamano d'oro, e cremisi, con suoi piedi sciolti dorati , e intagliati ,
che rappresentano tre arpie, con code di delfino", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 'inventario di stru­
menti', 1700, L 1. The Fiorentine braccio (subdivided into 20 soldi) was equivalent to 58.3 cm.
IO "Un cimbalo di Girolamo Zenti non levatoro di cassa, a tre registri, cioè due principali unisoni,
e tiorbino, con fondo di abeto, e rosa nel mezzo traforata, e dorata, con fascie per di fuora tinte
à imitazione di marmo rosso, e bianco, con striscie nere all'estremità, e per di dentro, tinto di
nero, con il corniciame dorato, con suo leggio simile, e sua tasta tura di bossolo, et ebano, con
cinque spezzati nei neri di mezzo, che comincia in gisolreut ottava stesa, e finisce in cisolfaut,
con n.' cinquanta nove tasti, trà bianchi, e neri, e spezzati, e nella fascia d'avanti vi stà scritto à
lettere d'oro con alcuni rabeschi Hyerollimus de Zentis RomanusJaciebat in civitate Ho/mie anno
Domilli 1653, lungo braccia quattro, e soldi nove, largo nel d 'avanti braccia uno, e soldi dieci,
con sua contro cassa di abeto pura, e sua coperta di cuoio rosso foderata di taffettà verde orlata
di nastri no d'oro" , Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, ff. 2-3. The translation of abeto with "fir" is
justilled in Grant O'Brien and Francesco Nocerino, "The Tiorbino: an unrecognised instrument
type built by harps ichord makers, with possible evidence for a surviving instrument", Ga/pin
Society Joumal LVIl, 2005, p.192, n . 29.
Il "Un cimbalo del Prete Gioseppe Mondini detto il Prete da Imola levatoro di cassa a tre registri ,
cioè due principali, e tiorbino unisoni, con fondo senza rosa di cipresso, fascie, e scorniciatura
simile, con filetto d'ebano, e traversa pur eli cipresso, con filetto, e striscia nel mezzo d'ebano,
con tastatura di bossolo, et ebano, che comincia in gisolreut ottava stesa, e finisce in cisolfaut,
con n.o cinquanta tre tasti, tra bianchi , e neri senza spezzati, lungo braccia quattro, e un quar­
to largo nel d'avanti braccia uno, e soldi otto, con un iscritione incavata nel sodo d'avanti, che
dice Joseph Mondini Imo/en . M.DCLX.XXVII, con suo leggio di cipresso, e contro cassa di abeto
pura, e sua coperta di cuoio giallo, foderata di canevaccio, e orlata di nastro di fùaticcio giallo",
Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, fL 34-35.
12 "Un cimbalo del Prete Gioseppe Mondini, detto il Prete da Imola levatoro di cassa a tre registri,
cioè due principali, e tiorbino unisoni, con fondo di abeto senza rosa, fascie, e scomiciatura di
cipresso, con filetto d'ebano, e traversa con filetto , e striscia nel me zzo d 'ebano, con tastatura di
bossolo, et ebano, che comincia in gisolfaut ottava stesa, e fmisce in cisolfaut senza spezza ti, con
n. ° cinquanta tre tasti, tra bianchi, e neri, lungo braccia quattro, e un terzo, largo nel d'avanti
braccia uno, e nove soldi, con un'inscritione incavata nel sodo d'av anti che dice Joseph Mondini
Imo/ .M.DCLX.XXVIIl con suo leggio di cipresso, e contro cassa di abeto pura, toppa, e chiavistelli
laterali, e sua coperta di cuoio giallo, foderata di canavaccio , e orlata di nastro di filaticcio giallo",
Guardaroba Medicea Il 17, 1700, f. 34.
13 "Uno detto [cimbalo] grande a tre registri con cassa di cipresso , tastiera d'ebano, e avorio, e
suo leggio con due cassette a tirella sotto la tastiera, e sua contracassa tinta in parte di rosso,
e rabescata d'oro, e dalla parte del muro foderata di velluto rosso con suo piede con colonnette
scannellate tinto in parte dorato opera di Stefano Bolcioni da Prato. Una sopra coperta di corame
giallo per detto stampata", Imperiale e Real Corte Lorenese 3410, n° 255, "inventari di vendita", ff.
184v-185. This entry, although of later date, describes an instrument that is listed in the court
archives from 1691 onwards.
" See O'Brien and Nocerino, The Tiorbino, pp. 184-208.
15 See Tony Chinnery, "A Celestini harpsichord rediscovered", Recercare XI, 1999, pp. 51-73.
FIMTE •
D OMENICO SCARLAn'1 IN SPAIN
137
THE KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT COLLECTION 01' GRAND PRI NCE: FERDl NANDO DE' MEDICI
For Cris tofori's oval spinets, see Gabriele Rossi-Rognoni (ed.) Bartolomeo Cristofori. La spinetta
ovale del 1690. The 1690 Ovai Spineto published by the Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence as the
third volume in the series n luogo del David, Livorno, 1999.
17 "Una spinetta di Bartolomeo Cristofori di forma ovale levatora di cassa a due registri principali
unisoni, con fondo di cipresso, e rosa traforata nel mezzo, con fascie di sciacarandà, e scomi­
ciatura di ebano, con fùetto d'avorio; con traversa a piramide, e leggio s imile, nel quale vi è un
frontone di ebano, con l'arme serenissima intarsiata d'avorio, con tastatura d'avorio, et ebano,
con i due primi neri spezzati, che servono d'ottava al fafaut , e gisolreut diesis, che comincia in
cisolfaut in sesta e finisce in cisolfaul, con n . quaranta sette tasti tra bianchi, e neri, e spezzati,
con due molle di ferro nei sodi laterali della tastatura, che servono per registrare, con cassetta
per d'avanti, al piano della tastatura, nel di dentro della quale vi sta scritto Bartholomaeus
Cristophori Patavinus faciebat Florentiae M.DCXC, con sua contro cassa di abeto pura, e coperta
di cuoio rosso foderata di ermisino cremisi, orlata di nastrino d'oro, con suoi piedi torniti avvolti
di pero tinto di nero, e legati con traverse simili; con piano, nel quale vi incastra la suddetta spi­
netta, con una scorniciatura d'ebano, che lo circonda tutto", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700,
ff. 27-28 .
18 "Una spinetta di Bartolomeo Cristofori di forma ovale levatora di cassa a due registri principali
unisoni, con fondo, fascie, traversa a piramide, e leggio di cipresso il tutto intarsiato, e filettato
d'ebano, con scorniciatura d'ebano filettato di bossolo, con ponti di ebano, e rosa nel mezzo
intagliata, e filettata di ebano, con tastatura di bossolo, et ebano, intarsiata con scudetti di
ebano, e filettata, parte di ebano, e parte di bossolo senza spezzati, che comincia in cisolfaut
ottava stesa, e finisce in cisolfaut, con n. o quaranta nove tasti , tra bianchi, e neri, con due mo­
lle di ferro nei sodi la terali della tastatura, che servono per registrare, con cassetta per d'avanti
al piano della tastatura, nel di dentro della quale vi sta scritto Bartholomaeus Cristophori
Patavinus faciebat Florentiae M.DCXCIII; con sua contro cassa di abeto pura, e coperta di cuoio
rosso foderata di taffetà cremisi, e orlata di nastri no oro, e cremisi", Guardaroba Medicea 1117,
1700, ff. 28-29.
19 For the Leipzig instrument, see Hubert Henkel, Musilcinstrumenten·Museum der Karl·Marx·
Universitdt Leipzig. Katalog. Band 2 Kiel-Instrumente, Leipzig, 1979, pp . 34-8, with illustrations
in Tafel 12 and Tafel 13, item 53.
20 "Un spinettone da orchestra di Bartolomeo Cristofori, non leva toro di cassa a due registri, cioè
principale, et ottava, con fondo di cipresso, e rosa in mezzo, con fascie per di fuora di abeto, che
servono di cassa al detto spinettone, e per di dentro impiallacciate di cipresso, con traversa, et
un pianetto, dove sono i pironi et un'altro pianetto, dove si attaccano le corde, tutti scorniciati
pur di cipresso, con tastatura di bossolo et ebano, che comincia in gisolreut, ottava stesa, e
finisce in cisolfaut senza spezzati, con n. o cinquanta tre tasti, tra bianchi, e neri, lungo braccia
tre, e tre ottavi, largo nel più dal petto alle rene braccia uno, e soldi tre, e mezzo, e nel d'avanti
braccia uno, e tre quarti, con due molle di ferro nei sodi laterali, che servono per registrare, e due
bottoncini di ebano, con una cassettina a mano destra, con suo leggio di cipresso, e coperchio di
abeto maschiettato, e due toppe, con sua coperta di cuoio giallo, foderata di canovaccio, orlata di
nastrino di fùaticcio giallo", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 29 .
2 1 The word "spinettone"'at this time appears to have meant any kind of large spinet. The cem­
balo traverso in the Musikinstrumenten-Museum in Leipzig can1e l'rom the Kraus coUection in
Florence. See Kraus, Collezione, p. 19, item 543; Kinsky, Besaitete Tasteninstrumente, pp. 102-4,
item 86; Henkel, Kielinstrumente, pp. 91-3, Tafel 48 and Tafe149 . This instrument followed the
same trajectory as the ovaI spine t oI 1693 .
21 "Una spinetta del Prete Gioseppe Monclini, detto il Prete da Imola levatora di cassa, a due registri,
cioè principale, e ottavina, con fondo di cipresso senza rosa, fascie , e scorniciatura simile , con fi­
letto d'ebano, e traversa pur di cipresso, con filetto, e striscia nel mezzo d'ebano, con tastatura di
bossolo, et ebano, con i due primi neri spezzati, che servono di ottava, al fafaut, e gisolreut diesis,
che comincia in cisolfaut in sesta, e finisce in cisolfaut, con n. o quaranta sette tasti, tra bianchi
neri, e spezzati , con un bottoncino d'avanti nel sodo della tastatura, che serve per registrare, e
suo leggio di cipresso, con sua contro cassa d'abeto pura, e coperta di cuoio giallo foderata di
canavaccio, orlata di nastro di fùaticcio giallo", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 35.
2) "Due spinettine compagne del medesimo autore IBertillevatore di cassa a un registro solo, con
fascie, e fondo di cipresso senza rosa, con scorniciatura, traversa, e leggio sin1ile, con tastatura
di bossolo, et ebano senza spe zzati, che comincia in cisolfaut in sesta, e finisce in cisolfaut, con
16
O
138
FIMTE • DOME NICO SCARLATTI EN ESPANA
GIULI A NA MONTANARI
n! quarantacinque tasti, tra bianchi, e neri, con una piccola fascia d'avanti sopra la tastatura
da levare, e porre, che vien retta da tre perni di cipresso, con una cassetta con suo coperchio al
piano della tastatura, e due sodi laterali neri, con sua contro cassa di abeto pura" Guardaroba
Medicea 1117, 1700, ff. 42-3.
l ' "Una spinetta del P. Gio Batta Magnelli levatora di cassa a un registro solo, con fondo di abeto
senza rosa, e senza sponde con traversa, e cornicietta di cipresso , che ricorre attorno, e posa
su le sponde del detto fondo, con tastatura de bianchi di giuggiolo, e de neri intarsiati a listre
piccoline, d'avorio, di bossolo, di giuggiolo, e di ebano, con un bottoncino di avorio tornito, senza
spezzati, che comincia in cisolfaut in sesta, e finisce in cisolfaut, con n" quaranta cinque tasti in
tutto, e nelle cantonate di detta spinetta vi sono tre perni d'avorio fissi, su i quali vi si posa altra
seconda spinetta simile del medesimo autore e della medesima fattura, cavandoli la tastatura,
che viene legata, e fermata da due uncinelli, qual seconda spinetta, rimessavi la sua tastatura
suona al solito come l'altra, con sue contro casse a tutte due di albero bianco scorniciate torno
torno con sue coperte di cuoio giallo, foderate di canevaccio, et orlate di nastro giallo di filaticcio"
Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 46.
25 "Una spinetta di Girolarno Zenti levatora di cassa a un registro solo, con le corde d'oro, con fondo
di abeto tutto dipinto di foliami, e fiori con una farfalla, con rosa traforata nel mezzo, dipintovi
a torno una corona di diversi fiori, con fascie, scorniciatura, leggio, e traversa di cipresso, su la
quale vi sta scritto Hyeronimus de Zentis fecit Parisijs anno Domini 1668, con tas tatura di e bano,
et avorio, con il secondo tasto spezzato, che serve di ottava a elami bimolle, che comincia in giso­
lreut in sesta, e finisce in cisolfaut con n.o cinquanta uno tasti , tra neri, bianchi, e spezzati, con
sua contro cassa d'abeto coperta per di fuora di somm a cco rosso stampato d'oro, e per di dentro
del colore del legname; la detta spinetta è di forma bislunga, ma la fa diventare quadra una
cassettina che è per di dentro, con sua coperta di cuoio giallo, foderata di canavaccio, e orlata di
nastro di filaticcio giallo", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 3 .
16 "Una spinetta levatora di cassa a un registro solo , con le corde d'oro, fondo di abeto, e rosa tra··
forata nel mezzo, con fascie, scorniciatura, e traversa di ebano, il tutto filettato d'avorio, e nella
fascia d'a vanti vi sono tre spartimenti, con fogliami intarsiati d'avorio, con tre perni d'avorio, che
reggono un'altra piccola fascia da levare, e porre, con tastatura di bossolo, et ebano senza spez··
zati, che comincia in cisolfaut in sesta, e finisce in cisoLfaut, con n. o quaranta cinque tasti, tra
bianchi, e neri con sua contro cassa foderata per di dentro di tabi verde a onda, e per di fuora di
raso verde, guarnita di nastrino d'oro, con bottoncini dorati, e toppa dorata, con coperta di vac­
chetta rossa orlata di nastro di fùaticcio verde, e foderata di frustagno verde, con fibbie, e cigne
per serrarla", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 22.
27 "Al Serenissimo Principe Ferdinando l'appiè strumenti, e prima consegniati in camera I uno
strumento di tasti detto il concerto delle viole, che si suona per via di ruote mal al ordine posa su
tre pie chiamato salta martino", Guardaroba Medicea 822, "inventario di strumenti" , 4.8.1681,
f. 16. This inventory is transcribed in Pierluigi Ferrari , "Ancora sulla collezione medicea di stru­
menti musicali: gli inventari inediti del 1670 e 1691", in Studi in onore di Giulio Cattin, a cura
di Francesco Luisi, Roma, 1990, pp 227-65. Strumenti di tasti may be translated as "keyboard
instrument"; salta martino meant grasshopper, perhaps referring to the droning sound of the
instrument.
28 It has been suggested that this Geigenwerck was by Hans Hayden. See John Henry van der Meer,
"Gestrichene Saitenk.laviere", Basler Jahrbuchfor historische Musikpraxis XlII , 1989, pp. 141-81,
here 149-50.
29 "Un' cimbalo con tastatura d'avorio, con invenzione di cinque ruote per toccar le corde di budella
ad uso d'una ghironda , tinto di rosso , e fùettato d'oro, con riquadrati coperti di dommasco rosso ,
con suo piede intagliato, tinto color simile , e dorato, con sua sopracoperta di corarne foderata di
tela", Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis, 1716, n.o 29 .
30 "Un sordino di Alemagna con fondo di abeto, e traversa di noce da levare, e porre con due gang­
heretti. di filo d'ottone con panno rosso per di sotto, con tastatura in sesta d'acero et ebano, che
comincia in cisoLfaut, e finisce in cisolfaut con due spezzati, cioè i primi neri, che servono di
ottava al fafaut, e gisolreut diesis, con n. Oquaranta sette tasti tra bianchi, neri, e spezzati, con
alcune corniciette per di dentro di noce, che ricorrono torno torno; foderato il coperchio per di
dentro di carta rossa, con rabeschi, et ucc ellarni stampati d'oro, e la cassa per di fuora tinta a
uso di marmo mischio, con sua toppicina a saracinesca, e sua chiave, con tre dadi di legno di
sotto per posare", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 56. The word translated here as "rail" in
FJMTE •
D OlvlENICO S CA RLA'Iì'1 IN SPAIN
139
THE KEYBOARD INsTRuMENT COLLECTION OF GRAND PRINCE FERDINANDO DE' MEDICI
the phrase "removable walnut rail" is traversa in the Italian. Above, for the harpsichords, tlùs
word was translated as jack rail'. Since clavichords have no jack rail, the removable rail here is
presumably a raillike those found in many clavichords . These run over the strings at the back of
the instrument and are designed to offer more resistance in the strings when they are struck by
the tangents . These rails can be removed easily and are often held down at both ends with hooks
or catches and have cloth underneath that bears on the ends of the strings that do not sound.
31 "Un sordino con fondo di abeto, e fa scie di cipresso, et una cassetta simile da levare, e porre
con due palle di ebano, che serve per coprire il luogo dove si attaccano le corde, tutte bullettate
di bottoncinj d'avorio, e due altre cassettine nelle cantonate, con tastatura di avorio, et ebano
in sesta, che comincia in cisolfaut, e fmisce in fafaut con n ,' cinquanta tasti, tra bianchi, e neri
senza spezzati, con cassa di albero bianca, e per di dentro tinta di rosso con sua toppa, senza
chiave, e senza boncinello", Guardaroba Medicea 1117 , 1700, f. 56.
32 For Palmieri's organs for tile Fiorentine court, see Warren Kirkendale, Emilio de' Cavalieri
"Gentiluomo romano". His LiJe, his Letters, his Role as Superintelldent of all the ATis at the Medici
CouTi, and his Musical Compositions, Firenze, 200 l, p. 12 Jf, and Pier Paolo Donati, "Emilio
dei Cavalieri: un organologo del Cinquecento", Infonnazione organistica, anno XIV, n ° 3, 2002,
pp. 185-231, here 195f.
13 "Un organo ad un registro, con n' cinquantacinque canne di cipresso, fra grande, e piccole, con
n' 3 mantici e sue appartenenze", Guardaroba Medicea 822,5.6.1687, f. 19.
34 "Un organo a due registri, con n' 123 canne, tra grande, e piccole, con mantici e sue appartenen­
ze", Guardaroba Medicea 822, 5.6.1687, f. 19.
35 "Un organo con canne di cipresso quadre, fermo dentro nella grossezza del muro nella camera
de cimbali, con tastatura di cipresso, con un asse davanti a dette canne tinta di verde rabescata
d'oro, fermovi due viticci d'ottone dorato, con suoi mantici, et altre a ppartenenze", Guardaroba
Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 110. Cristofori's bill for this organ is transcribed in Ferdinando Casaglia,
Per le onoranze a BaTiolommeo Cristofori che avranno lllOgO in Firenze il di 7 maggio 1876, Firenze
1876, pp. 17-32, here 23.
3" "Un organo con canne di legno, e tastatura di bossolo, et ebano, con concerto di campanelli di
bronzo d'Inghilterra, con sua tenda d 'avanti d'eonisino bianca tutta dipinta a rabeschi, fiori, et
uccelli di più sorte, ferma sopra un telaio", Guardaroba Medicea 1222, "Inventario di mobili et
altro dell'eredità del Serenissimo Principe Ferdinando", 9.11.1713, f. 9.
37 "Un organo portatile a cinque registri fatto a foggia d'ala con canne di piombo, che venti di stagno
nella facciata principale d'avanti, con traversa d 'avanti a dette canne, et ornamenti torno torno
d'intaglio dorato, con tastatura di bossolo, et ebano senza spezzati, che comincia in cisolfaut in
sesta, e finisce in cisolfaut , con n.' quaranta cinque tasti, tra bianchi, e neri, con suo ordingo
da levare, e porre per nove pedali, con sua cassa tinta di turchino, con rabeschi, e scornicia­
ture dorate, con suoi mantici pulegge, e cordoni per alzarli, tutti serrati in cassa pure dipinta,
e dorata come sopra, con sue maniglie di ferro, maschiettature, e toppe", Guardaroba Medicea
1222, 9.11.1713, c. 15. For Italian organi ad ala (wing shaped organs), see Pier Paolo Donati,
"Le caratteristiche degli organi in uso nella musica policorale del primo Seicento", Informazione
organistica XlV, n' 2, 2002, pp. 109-32, here 119-21.
38 "Un organetto da groppa a tre registri, che due di zampogne, et uno di canne di legno tutte d'un
pezzo, con tastatura d'avorio, et ebano, che comincia in cisolfaut in sesta, e suoi mantici con
qualche intarsio di legno per di sopra, qual 'o rganetto tutto si chiude in una cassetta con sua
toppa", Guardaroba Medicea 1117, 1700, f. 110. The zampogna was a reed stop common in
Italian organS of the seventeenth century. Cf. Pier Paolo Donati, "Maestri d'organo 'fiamminghi'
nell'Italia del Rinascimento, I: Testimoni, protagonisti, nuove risorse sonOl:-e", Infonnazione orga­
nistica XV, 1,2003, pp. 13-55, here 37.
39 "Un' organetto piccolo di un braccio in circa per ogni parte, con canne di stagno et incassa tura
di noce, fatto a foggia di stipo", Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis, 6.10.1716 , f. 33v.
40 "Un' organino a cassetta tutto coperto di stagnio rabescato, e lauorato con balaustro sopra, che
riscontra da tre bande, con sei statuine simili, con fonte nel mezzo, e dentro canne, et altri ordingru
per sonare scherzi di acque, con due manticinj foderati di raso rosso , con frangiolina attorno di seta
rossa, et oro, con tastatura à due registri di bossolo, e pero, con maniglie di ferro dorate, con cordonj,
e nappe di seta rossa largo braccia I 'I., lungo braccia l 1/6 alto nell' più braccia l ~ con quattro
mascheronj su le cantonate per piede", Guardaroba Medicea 1345, "libro di debitori e creditori della
Guardaroba", 1723, f. 211r. For ltalian table organs, see Patrizio Barbieri, "Organi <in foona di tavo­
lino. del Seicento romano", Amici dell'Organo, Serie Il, (settembre 1982), pp. 8-11, passim.
140
FIMTE • DOMENICO SCARLt\TTI EN ESPANA
GIULIANA MONTANARI
See Giuliana Montanari, "FIorentine claviorgana (1492-1900)", The Galpin Society Jounlal LVIII,
2005, pp. 236-59, far more information on the claviorgana listed here.
<2 Buonaccordo or bonaccordo was in the seventeenth century the general narne for quilled key­
board instruments. See Gabriele Rossi-Rognoni, "Botteghe fiorentine di strumenti musicali", La
grande storia dell'artigianato. Volume quinto. n Seicento e il Settecento, a cura di Riccardo Spinelli,
Firenze, 2002, pp. 113-49.
43 "Un graviorgano che fa cimbalo, organo, e tiorba con tastatura d'avorio, e ebano con cassa di
cipresso, e contracassa tutta tinta di turchino e rabescata d'oro, anzi verde antico, e rabescato
d'oro e (come) ora suo piede che fa cassa d'avanti per i mantici tinta di verde antico, e rabescata
d'oro con fiancate dipintovj a olio paese con figure , et il restante di taffetà turchino rapportatovj
rabeschi tutti dorati, retto da piede da un balaustro tutto intagliato tinto di turchino, e dorato
in parte, con sua sopracoperta di corarne turchino con nastro per legare", Guardaroba Medicea
1051, "'Inventario de quadri, et altri mobili della proprietà del Serenissimo Principe Ferdinando
di Toscana, che esistono nel Palazzo di Poggio a Caiano", 1697, f. 12.
44 "Un graviorgano, e strumento, di cipresso di Candia a un registro , con sua cassa tutta coperta di
velluto rosso piano guarnita di nastrino d'oro, e confitta con bottoncini d'ottone, e per di dentro
coperta di dommasco rosso guarnita, e confitta simile; con cassa per i mantici, che serve di piede
al detto strumento, tinta di rosso, e filettata d'oro con Arme di Palle con Croce di Malta, nelle
testate", Guardaroba Medicea 992, "Inventario di Villa Imperiale", 1691, f. 2v. A later inventory
states that the strumento was a cinbalo (harpsichord): Imperiale e Real Corte Lorenese 3411,
"vendita di robe diverse all'incanto", 18.12.1779.
45 "Uno strumento che serve per organo, e bonaccordo, con cassa dì noce anzi di legno tinta di noce
alto braccia l '/2 largo braccia 7/8 lungo braccia 2 3;' con 4 maniglie di ferro per porui le stanghe",
Guardaroba Medicea 822, 1671-92, 31.5. 1683, f. 17v.
46 "Un sordino di Domenico da Pesaro, con graviorgano, con cassa d 'albero tinta di colore scuro"
Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis, 23.9.1716, n.o 32.
47 "Un' organetto in forma di stipo con tastatura di avorio a quattro registri, che tre con canne di
legno, e l'altro in regale, con una spinettina dentro da levare, e porre con tastatura simile, con
fondo d'abeto, e sopra detta spinetta entravi cassetta a tirella coperta per di fuori di velluto nero
a opera con campanelline con rabeschi di rame dorato, con sportello in mezza con cristallo, il
tutto di pero tinto di nero con riquadrati per di fuori nelle facciate coperti di velluto nero a opera
con mantici da alzarsi per di sopra", Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis, 23.9.1716, n.o 82.
48 "Un' organo con diversi registri di legno, et uno di stagno, con uno a regale con suoi mantici,
sopravi un cimbalo ad un registro, e due spinettine con tastature d'avorio, et, i neri di vetro, con
sua cassa di noce", Guardaroba Medicea 1241 bis, 23.9.1716, n.o 83.
4J
FTMTE •
DOMENICO SCARLADI IN Sr,'IIN
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