Spinet
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The Spinet is a small harpsichord : an instrument with plucked strings, played using a keyboard. The strings are usually plucked with quills (leathers). The spinet was popular in the 18th century - especially for home use - because it was more compact and cheaper to buy than a harpsichord.
| Family |
| Keyboards |
| Pitch range |
| Four octaves. |
| Material |
| Wooden case and keys, brass strings, and quill plectra. |
| Size |
| 4 ft (1.20 m) wide, 32 in (81 cm) high. |
| Origins |
| The wing-shape, or leg-of-mutton, spinet was invented around 1700 as a smaller and cheaper version of the harpsichord, intended for domestic use. |
| Classification |
| Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings. |
| And also... |
| The word spinet may have derived from the Latin "spina," meaning "thorn." In France, "epinette" described all 17th-century quilled instruments. |
