The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-06-27
PRICE TWO CENTS
MUSICAL RECORDING MECHANISM

r,, m oloAL hECOhDlNG MECHANlSM.
Inc following letter from valued Boston CORES
pondent touches upon recent invention of Mr.
henry f. Bond, the details of which will be inter
eSung to all composers and musical improvisers;
"BOsToN, June lst 1889
!. wv hat would you not give, Mr. Editor at some
uhes; 10 De able to record the happy inspirations
e naI orop somehow, you cannot tell exactly how
I'm our nhgers as they pass over the KEYS of
snch Ra"Go ou know that you have at times
SUI SUI Ilspiralons you know that THOUGHTS musical
ana poetlcal flash across vour mind et sncb mo-
menus OF inspiration, which YOU strike ont Will ~
WllIe neat, put which are then, ninety-nine times
out OF hundred, gone from YOU forever Yon na,,
not, in cold blood write such tbinrs ,,, gu @ oaIl-
you cannot elaborate them by taking thought
What would not the world give now to hear tbn IN
provlsations OF Mozart, of Beethoven, MendeIsshon
or CHOPIN, OF any great composer of rare virtuoso
written in black and white? What would then no}
nave given for the power to do this?
''Now 1t is done. You may come here Mr. Edi
tor, extemporize to your hearts content. upon
certain piano. at Chickerings as long as you please
as eaoorately as yon please; or YOU may ia ke any
music that you can play, grave or brilliant and
when the last note is touched you shall have it in
your hand; every note, every rest, every pedal
marx, written upon the slaves exactly as Won have
played 1T. The chance blunder that you ba We made
the wrong note you have struck the false harmonies
you nave perpetrated, your rtardando8 and dccele-
rdndos are all written down.
This Is not done bv marie but bv n,ach;ner1
not by sOrcery, but by Yankee ingenuity A sef of
levers Is attached to the keys directly beneath them
and outside of the piano case the action very like
that of organ. These levers all converge nj the
lower end of the piano, and the ends are brouobt
together within a space of five inches and between
the steel points which terminate them and an mixed
roller passes a strip of ruled music paper moved
by simple clock-work, like that of the Morse tee
graph. The clock is set in motion (the rate beinoy
regulated according to the rapiditv of the mnsicc
you are to play, by the fy-wheel,) the paper moves
you play-eVery key touched presses its CORES
pondlng point against the paper, and leaves its
marx so long as you can press the KEY down. exact
~ on that line or save of the staff on which if woud
De written or Is written on the music papeyou pav
lrom; The length of the note (musically0 is indi-
Gated by the length of the mark upon the paper.
the rest by the absence of mark; the bars are mar
ed across the score by pedal moved by the play
er, the working of which demands a little tact
and practice. The loud pedal also leaves its mark
The clockwork and the printing apparatus are most
compactly arranged in the little vacant space found
piano. '4""''
The music thus printed off may be then copied
INTO the common musical notation by copyist.
ust as the printing of the Morse telegraph is copied
py clock, or the notes of phonographic reporter
are written of for the compositors use a little
practice, however, would enable one to plav from
tins score at sight readily from the usual mu
SIC, as the principle of notation is the same The
mats ana sharps are indicated by double line
This ingenious machine is the invention of Mr..
Henry f. Bond of this city, and seems to want lit
tie to bring it to complete perfection. | enclose a
specimen OF its work to prove the accuracy of nv