virginal

Plucked stringed keyboard instrument of the 16th and 17th centuries, often called ‘virginals’ or ‘a pair of virginals’ in England, where the term was applied to any quilled keyboard instrument well into the 17th century. The virginal is rectangular or polygonal in shape and is distinguished from the harpsichord and spinet by its strings being set at right angles to the keys, rather than parallel with them.

The most likely explanation of the name is that the instrument was often played by girls. There are several manuscript collections of virginal music by English composers, including The Fitzwilliam Virginal Book, My Ladye Nevells Booke, Will Forster's Book, Benjamin Cosyn's Book, and Elizabeth Rogers's Book.