"The virginal shares the plucking action of the harpsichord, but the strings run from side to side instead of away from the player. There are many different kinds of virginal, and one of the most impressive models is the Italian false inner-outer type. A trompe l'œil effect is gained by the inner instrument finished in natural wood appearing to be separate from the painted exterior case. Because the string is plucked almost in its middle, the Italian virginal has a very characteristic sound with a rich booming bass and a crisp treble."

-- Marc Ducornet

The virginal is a personal, as opposed to for performance, instrument. It has a room-sized rather than concert-hall sized voice. Due to the deep plucking point it has a rich sound and a wide variation in timbre across its compass. Its hey-day was the Elizabethan period in England. Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I were all accomplished virginal players. The fashionable composers of the day such as William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, John Bull, etc., produced a wealth of attractive and playable music for the virginal which takes advantage of its special characteristics, eg, bright treble, rich midrange and plummy bass. This music is easily available today in such collections as The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, My Lady Rogers Virginal Book, and the Parthenia, to name but a few.