Albana Single Manual Harpsichord: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

This instrument was made by Horatius Albana in Rome, Italy in 1643. It is a single manual harpsichord with a compass of C/E - c3, a disposition of 2 x 8’, and has 2 iron levers on the right side to move slides. The soundboard is made of cypress and features a rose of geometric design. This harpsichord has boxwood naturals and black-stained accidentals. The nameboard is inscribed: “Horatius Albana f. Anno MDCXXXXIII.”

The separable outer case is painted with putti with musical instruments and Rococo motifs on a gold and pale blue background. The lid interior is painted with mythological figures on a gold background. This instrument sits on a heavy elaborate gilded stand.

Horatius (Orazio) Albana comes from a family of Italian keyboard makers who were active during the 16th and 17th centuries. There is a Horatius Albana harpsichord in the Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1643
• maker: Albana, Horatius
• Object Name: harpsichord
• Physical Description: wood (overall material)
• Physical Description: metal (overall material)
• Physical Description: paint (overall material)
• Measurements: overall (instrument only): 12 in x 30 1/4 in x 77 1/4 in; 30.48 cm x 76.835 cm x 196.215 cm
• Measurements: overall: 38 1/2 in x 30 1/2 in x 78 in; 97.79 cm x 77.47 cm x 198.12 cm
• place made: Italy
• ID Number: MI.326905
• accession number: 84841
• catalog number: 326905
• Credit Line: Gift of Hugo Worch
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.