ConventionsAll parts are believed to be original unless otherwise specified. MeasurementsMeasurements are given in millimetres. Long measurements, including case measurements, string lengths etc, are measured to the nearest ½ mm and are expressed using integers and the figure ‘½’. Smaller measurements, taken using a Vernier calliper, are measured to the nearest 0.1mm and are expressed using a decimal point (eg 0.5). Case dimensions exclude lids and mouldings unless otherwise specified; case thickness is measured including veneers unless otherwise stated. The spine length of spinets includes the case ends. Rose dimensions are given not including the bevelled edge of the soundboard. Where a named part varies slightly in thickness, an average thickness is given, preceded by c. (circa). ‘Balance point’ refers to the keylever balance pin mortise rather than the natural balance point of the keylever, unless otherwise specified. Top of Page String lengths The string lengths of instruments of the harpsichord and piano families are measured from the centre of the nut pin to the centre of the bridge pin. Clavichord string lengths are measured from the centre of the bridge pin to the centre of the tangent. The length given in the scalings section is that of the long 8ft string (the left-hand string in a wing-shaped instrument and the string further from the player in a rectangular instrument). Top of Page Striking points Harpsichord, spinet and virginal plucking points are measured from the centre of the nut pin to the centre of the plectrum. For pianos, the striking point is measured as the distance from the nut pin to the centre of the hammer. Top of Page Maker’s namesNot all the names appearing in inscriptions on instruments are those of the actual makers. Some of the names inscribed are those of dealers: in some cases they are those of instrument makers who marked their names on instruments bought for resale. Reference in an inscription to the person there named as ‘maker’ cannot necessarily be taken to mean that the instrument so inscribed was made by the person named. Additional information on makers can be found in: Donald H Boalch, edited by Charles Mould, Makers of the Harpsichord and Clavichord 1440–1840, 3rd edition (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995) Martha Novak Clinkscale, Makers of the Piano, 1700–1820 (London: Oxford University Press, 1993) Martha Novak Clinkscale, Makers of the Piano, volume 2, 1820–1860 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999) Stanley Sadie, editor, The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (London: Macmillan, 1984) Top of Page Inscriptions The use of capital letters follows the character of the inscription. The symbol \ is used to indicate a new line of text. Inscriptions in ink are in black unless otherwise indicated. Material in square brackets is editorial, usually due to some element of uncertainty or a lack of clarity. Any inscription specific to the instrument has been included in the Inscriptions section; manuscript or printed text on material used for lining is mentioned in History of states or Commentary. Top of Page Materials References to materials are descriptive and generic and are not necessarily specific. All materials have been identified only by eye unless otherwise indicated. The word ‘coniferous’ is used generically to denote timber from a cone-bearing tree. ‘Maple’ has been used to denote wood which appears to be of the genus Acer and therefore includes sycamore. Top of Page TerminologyGlossaries of the terms used can be found in: Philip Belt et al, The New Grove Musical Instrument Series: The Piano (London: Macmillan, 1980) Michael Cole, The Pianoforte in the Classical Era (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1998) John Koster, Keyboard Musical Instruments in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1994) Edward Ripin et al, The New Grove Musical Instrument Series: Early Keyboard Instruments (London: Macmillan, 1989) Peter Williams & Barbara Owen, The New Grove Musical Instrument Series: The Organ (London: Macmillan, 1980) Pitch notation 
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