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Martini procured me the honour of his acquaintance. This gentleman is en- titled to my best acknowledgments for many musical curiosities, with which he was so kind as to furnish me; and among the rest, for an essay, of which he is him- self the author, on the capacity and extent of the violoncello, in imitating the violin, flute, french-horn, trumpet, hautbois, and bassoon.
At Florence, I found the harpsichord of Zarlino, which is mentioned in the se- cond part of his Harmonical Institutions, p. 140. This instrument was invented by Zarlino, in order to give the tempera- ment and modulation of the three genera, the diatonic, chromatic, and enharmonic; and was constructed, under his direction, in the year 1548, by Domenico Pesarese: it it now in the possession of Signora Moncini, widow of the late com- poser Piscetti. I copied Zarlino's in- structions for tuning it, from his own hand-writing, on the back of the fore-
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