(Fr. nasale, registre d’hautbois; Ger. Nazard, Nasal-Register, Nasalzug, Oboezug).
A row of jacks plucking one of the 8' choirs of a harpsichord very close to the nut, producing a characteristically penetrating sound. In the 18th century the German terms for the stop were ‘Spinet’ and ‘Cornet’. Although this stop has been called ‘lute’ in English since the 18th century there is considerable confusion as to the proper use of the term, since such apparently equivalent foreign terms as ‘Lautenzug’ actually refer to the Buff stop. For clarity, the term ‘nasal stop’ is now sometimes used in English.
EDWIN M. RIPIN/JOHN KOSTER