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Signature: The instrument is unsigned, but an analysis of the unit of measurement used in its design and construction shows clearly that it was made in or near Naples.
Rose: Parchment and wood rose in three separated layers. Diameter: 123 Location: 177 to the spine; 293 to the edge of the rear register.
Scantlings*:
| Element | Length | Height | Thickness | Wood |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spine: | 1872 | 191-194 | 4.4-5.0 | cypress |
| Cheek: | 444 | 195-6 | 3.8-4.4 | cypress |
| Bentside: | --- | 193 | 4.7-4.9 | cypress |
| Tail: | 184 | 193-194 | 4.5 | cypress |
| Baseboard: | Italian | Style | 16 | fir? |
Case width at the gap: Inside: 765; outside:
775
Soundboard/wrestplank to top of the case:
62-65
Nameboard thickness: 5.2-5.7
Thickness of the baseboard batten at the front of the keys = 6.7
*These measurements do not include the thicknesses added by the top or the outer case mouldings.
The case is made in the usual Italian style with the case sides overlapping the outside edges of the baseboard, and with heavy decorative mouldings reinforcing the upper edge of the case at the top and covering over the nails holding the case sides to the baseboard at the bottom. X-ray analysis shows the usual knees reinforcing the inside of the case with stiffening baseboard braces. The soundboard has a long diagonal soundbar running more-or-less parallel to the bridge plus one shorter diagonal soundbar in the bass/tenor part of the compass which runs underneath the bridge with a cut-out to prevent stifling the sound where the bridge crosses over the bar.
The shape of the nut and its moulding, the construction and mouldings on the registers, the extra secure system of hitching the bass strings and the key-guiding system all indicate that the last historical state of the instrument can be attributed to Bartolomeo Cristofori or to his pupil Giovanni Ferrini.
Original dimensions of the baseboard
without the case sides:
Length: 1860. Width: 762½ (front) to 764 (cheek/bentside join).
Cheek: 434. Tail: 174. Component of tail parallel to spine: 93.
Component of tail perpendicular to spine: 147. Tail angle: 57.7º.
Present Keyboard:
Compass: C to d³,
51 notes
3-octave span: 488-489
Total width of keyboard at the natural
fronts: 697
| Sharp length: | 60 | |
| Naturals head length: | 37½ | |
| Length of keylevers: | Bass: 315 | Treble: 311 |
| Balance point to front of natural: | Bass: 131 | Treble: 130 |
An X-ray analysis of the balance rail
shows that the original compass was C/E
to f³ with a broken short octave
in the bass with split F
/D and split
G/E, and with
split d/e
and g/a
in the next two octaves, 49 notes in all.
The instrument went through a number of
intermediate states between this
original state and its present state.
Disposition:
| Plucking
Direction |
Pitch | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Second Row: |  |
8' | fixed and immovable |
| Front Row: |  |
8' | movable |
Stop lever arrangement:
There are no stop levers and
only the near register can be moved to withdraw it during tuning.
Scalings:
| Long 8" | String Length | Plucking Point |
|---|---|---|
| d³ | 113 | 63½ |
| c³ | 129 | 67 |
| f² | 201 | 80 |
| c² | 265½ | 90 |
| f¹ | 385½ | 103 |
| c¹ | 517½ | 112 |
| f | 768 | 121½ |
| c | 1010½ | 129 |
| F | 1412 | 136 |
| D | 1431 | 140½ |
| C |
1480 | 141½ |
| C | 1529 | 144 |
| 8' bridge: | C | c | c¹ | c² | c³ | d³ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | 11.5 | 12.8 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 9.4 | 9.4 | = height | |
| b | 9.4 | 9.8 | 9.6 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 9.1 | = width at base | |
| c | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.4 | = top moulding |
| 8' nut: | C | c | c² | d³ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | 13.0 | 13.1 | 12.3 | 12.3 | = height | |
| b | 9.4 | 9.5 | 8.4 | 8.0 | = width at base | |
| c | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 3.4 | = top moulding |
Soundboard wood quality:
Maximum number of 47 rings per 2.5 cms between the bridge and hitchpins near the note g.
Minimum number of 5 rings per 2.5 cms the rose and the gap, and near d³.
Materials:
| Section | Material |
|---|---|
| Nameboard: | cypress |
| Internal framing: | fir or spruce |
| Upper belly rail: | fir or spruce |
| Liners: | fir or poplar |
| Keyblocks: | cypress |
| Jackrail | coniferous wood veneered with yew (modern) |
| Lower belly rail: | fir or spruce |
| Jackrail supports: | cypress |
| Jacks: | fruitwood? |
| Tongues: | holly(modern) |
| Upper jackslides: | cypress |
| Lower guides | cypress |
| Key guide system | the usual Italian slotted rack system with wooden slips in the ends of the keylevers |
| Naturals: | ivory |
| Key arcades: | ivory |
| Sharps: | ebony with three inlaid lines on top, the outer two of ivory the centre of an exotic hardwood. |
| Keylevers: | chestnut |
| Balance rail: | walnut capped with beech |
| 8' Bridge: | beech (original) |
| 8' Nut: | cypress (Cristofori) |
| Soundboard: | fir |
| Wrestplank soundboard: | cypress |
| Soundboard mouldings: | cypress |
| Cutoff bar: | fir or spruce |
| Soundbars: | fir or spruce |
| Outer case: | coniferous wood |
| Lid: | coniferous wood |
| Stand: | poplar or lime |
Decoration:
The case of the inner instrument
is plainly decorated in oiled cypress with the usual upper and
lower case mouldings and keywell scrolls. The nameboard is
panelled in the usual Neapolitan style.
The outer case and stand are painted dark green. The outside of the case and lid has narrow gilt bands enclosing a richly-painted high baroque vinework decoration over a fairly heavy gesso ground. The stand, which appears to be original to the outer case and possibly to the instrument itself, is also painted dark green over a heavy gesso ground. The front support is composed of two architectural scrollwork legs tied between the upper and lower part of the stand, and the rear support uses the same legs placed back to back and crossed. The inside lid painting is modern and in an amateurish hand.
Biography of the original maker:
Although it seems clear from an analysis of the unit
of measurement used in the design and construction of the
instrument that it was made in Naples,
the actual maker has not yet been identified.
Biography of Bartolomeo Cristofori:
Bartolomeo Cristofori, 1655-1732, was
the son of Francesco Cristofori and was born in
Padua (he is sometimes known as Bortolo Padovano).
He was persuaded by Grand Duke Ferdinando de' Medici
to move to the Court in Florence, where he headed the
workshop from 1688. His surviving instruments date
from 1690 to 1726. He is best known for his
invention of the arpicembalo che fà il piano e il
forte, the forerunner of the modern piano.
His workmanship and inventiveness are of the highest order.
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