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Signor Farinelli has long left off sing- ing, but amuses himself still on the harp- sichord and viol d'amour: he has a great number of harpsichords made in different countries, which he has named accord- ing to the place they hold in his favour, after the greatest of the Italian painters. His first favourite is a piano forte, made at Florence in the year 1730, on which is written in gold letters, Rafael d'Urbino; then, Coreggio, Titian, Guido, &c. He played a considerable time upon his Raphael, with great judgment and deli- cacy, and has composed several elegant pieces for that instrument. The next in favour is a harpsichord given him by the late queen of Spain, who was Scarlatti's scholar, both in Portugal and Spain; it was for this princess that Scarlatti made his two first books of lessons, and to her the first edition, printed at Venice, was dedicated, when she was princess of Astu- rias; this harpsichord, which was made in Spain, has more tone than any of the
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