Italian Harpsichord-Building in the 16th and 17th Centuries

This slender volume attacks a surprisingly neglected corner of musical instrument history: the distinctive Italian approach to harpsichord-building during the 16th and 17th centuries. John D. Shortridge draws heavily on instruments from the Hugo Worch Collection at the U.S. National Museum, using specific examples to argue that Italian makers pursued a deliberate simplicity in construction that set their instruments apart from the more elaborate northern European designs. The book examines soundboards, jacks, tuning mechanisms, and keyboard ranges with the precision expected of organological scholarship, yet Shortridge refuses to treat these instruments merely as technical specimens. He insists on their aesthetic significance and the enduring beauty of their sound, bridging the gap between acoustic analysis and musical appreciation. The result is a focused study that illuminates why Italian harpsichords developed as they did, and what that development reveals about the broader evolution of keyboard instruments in early modern Europe. Essential reading for instrument makers, musicologists, and anyone fascinated by the material culture of Renaissance and Baroque music.