Archicembalo

[1] There were two systems of tuning the archicembalo considered by Vicentino: The observation that extended quarter-comma meantone temperament almost exactly approximates 31 equal was recognized by Huygens in 1661, published in 1691.

He says that after making this discovery, he found an earlier mention of the idea in Salinas' report on a 31 tone Italian keyboard, presumably Vicentino's archicembalo.

Vicentino named his instrument the archicembalo[5] with possible reference to Greek prefix ἀρχι-, which means "major, principal" (as in the word architect).

[14] Another German scholar in his article prefers 'arcicembalo', while at the same time pointing out that Vicentino himself used the prefix arci- in another place, to describe an organ with similar functions called an 'arciorgano', and that the Italian language does not make a hard-and-fast distinction between the two forms.

The Clavemusicum is accompanied by a tuning device, called TRECTA CORDO, that clearly shows an uneven division of the octave, with the usual meantone temperament for the first row of upper keys with C#, Eb, F#, G# and Bb.