Virginal with short, broken octave after Michael Praetorius 1620
In the pictorial part of his Syntagma Musicum, Praetorius shows a rectangular virginal that was generally called simply an instrument in Germany: The keyboard sits in the middle, the usual short octave is broken for F-sharp and G-sharp, and all E-flat keys are also broken for D-sharp. In the treble, the instrument goes up to d'''. Due to the central position of the keyboard, which determines the plucking proportions, a tonality between harpsichord and muselar is achieved. In this instrument, the implementation of an original oil painting by Friedrich Sustris in the lid (The Parnassus, Apollo and the Nine Muses) complements the period-typical outer appearance of the Virginal most happily.