Unfretted clavichord

Arnold Dolmetsch was a pioneer in re-discovering ancient music, and his deep passion inspired all his business as craftsman, which centred both on the restoration of ancient musical instruments and on their reconstruction. This specimen is his creation of a clavichord, a particular keyboard instrument with percussion strings that experienced the height of its splendour during the Renaissance, and has continued to be used throughout the 1700s. This type of instrument was highly appreciated by musicians for the extremely sensitive keyboard that allowed to practice the perfect touch. For its typically weak sound, in Italy it was also called sordino. It was decorated by one of the most famous figures on the British artistic scene between 1800 and 1900, Herbert Horne (1864-1916), architect, designer, printer, poet, art scholar and antiques dealer.