Dictionary of Music - Birding America

Vitry, Philippe de 467important school of music. The virginal was a small,rectangular keyboard instrument. Often it was simplya rectangular box, placed on a table or held inthe player’s lap, although some instruments had alarger case and legs. It had a single manual (row ofkeys). As in the larger harpsichord, pressing a keycaused a string to be plucked; however, there wasonly one string for each key, instead of two or three,and the strings ran parallel to the keyboard insteadof at an angle. It had a range of about four octaves.fig. 266 p/u from p. 489Like the harpsichord, the virginal appears tohave been quite popular as a home instrument in thesixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, especiallyin England. However, during this period the name“virginal” was used indiscriminately for severalsimilar instruments—harpsichords, spinets, and virginals—sothat it is not always possible to tell fromhistorical accounts and scores exactly which instrumentis being referred to. Nevertheless, a very richrepertory of music for the virginal (and/or its relatives)survives, and it is generally called virginalmusic. The most important of the composers,known as the virginalists, are William Byrd,Thomas Morley, John Bull, and Orlando Gibbons.Numerous collections of virginal music exist, allbut one of them in manuscript (not printed). Themost famous of them are the Fitzwilliam VirginalBook, containing 297 pieces by Bull, Byrd, Morleyand others, and Parthenia, printed in 1611. Themusic includes dances, especially pavanes and galliards,sets of variations, preludes, fancies, transcriptionsof madrigals, and some religious music.The best of these pieces make the most of thevirginal’s special qualities, particularly its agilekeys and light, sweet, tinkling tone.virginalistsvirginalsVirginia reelSee under VIRGINAL.Another name for VIRGINAL.See under REEL.virtual orchestra A computer programmed tocreate the sound of an orchestra, that is, a variety oforchestral instruments playing given music. It maybe used to replace a live orchestra or to augment liveplayers, so that they sound like a much largerensemble. One such device that is used primarily formusicals on tour is the Sinfonia. It consists of computers,samplers, one or more keyboards, and an outputrouter. The sampling instruments (seeSAMPLING) make thousands of recordings of eachmusical instrument, with about fifty samples madeof each note in its range. The basic notes then arematched with the sheet music, and adjustments aremade to pair the correct sample with each note, aprocess that takes about three months. During a performance,the musician in charge of the Sinfoniataps out a rhythm on a single key on the keyboard inorder to keep the tempo. Other keys handle suchmatters as sustaining a note longer or pausing if asinger misses a cue. The system plays back themusic through the theater’s sound system.virtuoso (vûr choo — ō′sō). 1 A highly skilledmusical performer, particularly with regard to technicalability. 2 Describing a musical compositionthat requires great technical skill.vite (vēt) French. Also, vitement (vēt mäN′). Adirection to perform in fast tempo.vitementSee VITE.Vitry (vē trē′), Philippe de (fē lēp′ d ə ),1291–1361. A French composer who wrote animportant treatise, Ars nova (“New Art,” c. 1320), inwhich he elaborated on Franco de Cologne’s systemof MENSURAL NOTATION. He declared that duplemeters were as acceptable as the traditional triple