Spinet

Spinta.

The spinet is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family, in which the strings are plucked by means of plectrums. For its part, the piano resembles the harpsichord, in which the strings are struck by hammers. Unlike the harpsichord, in the spinet each sound associated with a key corresponds to a single string. Its mechanism consists of a series of vertical levers provided with plectrums or feather tips, which strike the strings by pressing the keys with the fingers. The strings are short and arranged diagonally inside the box. There are spinets of two keyboards, which are placed one protruding below the other as in the organ.

This instrument took its name from the Italian builder Giovanni Spinetti, who lived in Venice during the second half of the 13th century and was one of the first makers (since similar instruments were known in Italy in the 11th century). The maximum splendor of the spinet dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The spinet has the white sustained keys and the other black. It is very similar to the piano.