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Vol. 86 July 18, 2026 No. 19

Rimbault

music historian writer

Biography

Rimbault is cited in the text as the source of a reproduced pen-and-ink sketch depicting a 'virginal, made harp fashion,' apparently built at the end of the 16th century. The author suggests this instrument might be considered the prototype of the modern upright piano, noting that if the drawing is accurate, a rather complicated action must have been used to set the plectra in motion. No further biographical detail about Rimbault is given.

Highlights

  • Reproduced a pen-and-ink sketch of a 'virginal, made harp fashion,' apparently from the end of the 16th century, viewed as a possible prototype of the modern upright piano.

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911).

Public domain.

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