TONY CHINNERY HARPSICHORDS

Giovanni Ferrini was the pupil of the Florentine builder Cristofori and his successor. Like Cristofori he was keeper of the keyboard instruments of the Medici collection as well as a builder of harpsichords and pianos. There also survives a combined piano/harpsichord made by him, now part of Tagliavini's collection. The original of this instrument is now in Michigan University. It has two 8' stops and a 4½ octave range GG-d'''. My version also has the transposing keyboard. Its two main merits are the beautiful, powerful and rich sound, and the lightness of its construction; a big advantage for transport. It does not have a separate outer case like the Grimaldi, but an integral construction, sometimes called false inner-outer as it looks like an inner harpsichord in cypress with an outer case. Although the original instrument is anonymous its atribution to Ferrini is pretty sure, based on many details that Ferrini inherited from his master, Cristofori.