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Claviorganum, 1598
Made by Laurentium Hauslaib
Nuremberg, Germany
Wood and various materials; L. 26 in. (66 cm)
The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889 (89.4.1191)

This tiny instrument incorporates an organ and a virginal built into an ebony tabletop chest of drawers. The lower keyboard manual is for the organ, and levers at the left of the keyboard serve as stops. A pair of bellows is concealed beneath the top of the chest; two ranks of flue pipes and a regal (reed) stop are arranged behind the drawers in the back. The upper keyboard belongs to a removable octave virginal. The instrument is tuned to approximately A=445. Above the keyboards is a small door with a lock and two carved columns flanking a brass relief panel depicting the Deposition from the Cross. The instrument was constructed by Laurentium Hauslaib during the time that he served at the court of Frederick IV, elector of the Palatinate, and was probably intended for domestic use.


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    Claviorganum, 1598
    Made by Laurentium Hauslaib
    Nuremberg, Germany
    Wood and various materials; L. 26 in. (66 cm)
    The Crosby Brown Collection of Musical Instruments, 1889 (89.4.1191)