Dictionary of Music - Birding America

396 speaker keyWhile this idea is far from new—physically dividingchoirs and instruments was a favorite technique ofthe sixteenth-century Venetian school—it became ofparticular interest in the twentieth century. Amongthe composers frequently associated with spatialeffects are Henry Brant, Elliott Carter, KarlheinzStockhausen, and Marc-André Dalbavie.speaker key In wind instruments with reeds,especially the clarinet and oboe, a key that opens ahole in the body of the instrument in such a waythat it becomes easy to obtain harmonics byoverblowing. Most oboes have two such keys, oneused to produce the note an octave above the notesounded ordinarily (that is, the first harmonicinstead of the note itself) and the other to producea tone one twelfth higher (the second harmonic, anoctave plus a fifth); the former is also calledoctave key. Clarinets usually have only onespeaker key, used to produce the twelfth. (See alsoOVERBLOWING.)speech song See SPRECHSTIMME; also PARLANDO,def. 1; RECITATIVE.speed metalSee under ROCK.made in a large variety of shapes, some five-sided,others six-sided, and still others triangular; in Germanythe name “spinet” was also used for theoblong instrument.fig. 228 p/u from p. 414The spinet works like a harpsichord, that is, strikingthe keys makes small, hooklike devices calledjacks pluck the strings. However, like the virginaland unlike the harpsichord, the spinet has only onestring per key. Also, whereas the virginal’s stringsrun parallel to the keyboard, the spinet’s run at anangle, which permits the use of longer bass strings;this makes for a fuller (less hollow) tone than thevirginal’s. Most spinets had a range of about four andone-half octaves, from low C to high F. (See alsoA direction to per-spianato (spyä nä′tô) Italian.form in a smooth, even manner.fig. 229 p/ufrom p. 414spiccato (spē kä′tô) Italian. A direction to playersof violins and other bowed stringed instrumentsto play a light STACCATO, executed at a pointbetween the frog and midpoint of the bow, with slowto moderate speed.spinet (spi′nət). 1 A small harpsichord, usuallywith a single keyboard and a single set of strings,which are set so that they are diagonal to the keyboard.Spinets were used from the sixteenth througheighteenth centuries. In England the spinet wasknown as a “virginal” until about 1660, as wereother kinds of small harpsichord. After that time, adistinction was made, the name “spinet” being confinedto a small harpsichord with one keyboard,transverse (diagonal) strings, and any shape exceptan oblong (rectangular) one. In fact, spinets wereHARPSICHORD; VIRGINAL.) 2 A small upright piano.The smallest size of piano made today, its strings areperpendicular to the keyboard, as in other uprightpianos. However, its strings are shorter and most ofthe key mechanism is beneath the keys instead ofabove them, permitting a smaller case. The shorterstrings and less direct key action combine to give thespinet a thinner tone than that of larger uprights.spinto (spēn′tô) Italian: “pushed.” Also, liricospinto (lē′rē cô spēn′tô). A term describing a tenoror soprano voice that is essentially lyrical but has afuller, more powerful quality as well. Some authoritiesdescribe it as midway between a lyric anddramatic soprano (see also SOPRANO, def. 1).