High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The virginals (the plural form does not necessarily denote more than one instrument) or virginal is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in northern Europe and Italy during the late Mediaeval and Renaissance periods. The virginals is a smaller and simpler rectangular form of the harpsichord with only one string per note running more or less parallel to the keyboard on the long side of the case. Many, if not most, of the instruments were constructed without legs, and would be placed on a table for playing. Later models were built with their own stands. The mechanism of the virginals is identical to that of the harpsichord in that its wire strings are plucked by plectra mounted in jacks. Its case, however, is rectangular, and the single choir of strings, with one string per note, runs roughly parallel to the keyboard. This arrangement causes the strings to be plucked nearer the middle rather than at one end, as in the case of the harpsichord, and produces a richer, flute-like tone.

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