The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1871-09-09
New Discovery in Music
Novel Instrument.

household pest, the piano, is soon
to be superseded by a newly pat.
ented and far more perfect instru-
ment. invented by Mr.. Thomas
Atkins, of Cincinnati, Ohio. There
is now a working model OF this .
instrument on exhibition in Gin
cinnati, and the Commercial, of
that city says that it presents, /
externally, somewhat the appear
ace of an upright piano, and has
similor keyboard and action,
including hammers and damper.
In other respects it differs from
the piano, having no strings, no
tension, and consequently fewer
imperfections. The tones are pro
duced by the hammers striking
upon steel hooks of a peculiar
/ construction. These hooks have
/ three prongs, the centre one be-
/ ing used to attach the hook to a
metallicsupport. The outer prongs
differ in length, and herein lies
the value of Mr.. Atkins discov-
cry. We speak of it as a dis
covery, not an invention. Mr. At
kins, who is both an excellent
musician and an ingenious me-
chanic, has devoted years to the
construction of an instrument that
would obviate some of the insu
perable imperfection of the piano.
In the process of experiment he
hit upon the hook of the from de-
scribed, and upon testing it, dis
covered, to his delight, the devel-
opment of a new acoustic princi-
Pile, the only like discovery made
in nearly thousand years. Whom
struck, the hook gives out not
only pure sustained tone, but a
perfect harmonic. 1t would be
long to tell how manp years have
been wasted by musicians in reach.
ing after the effect which Mr.. At,
kins produces by this coutrIvance
List himself spent some years
in experimenting with tuning
forks, but found himself limited
to a scale of about four and hall
octaves. Others have tried, anG
after tedious labor have met with
no better success. The attempt.
to construct a keyed Instrument
out of steel have hitherto beer
failures. Now, imagine Mr.. AT
kins seated at this novel instru
A ment. 1t is as if a musical boz
fifty times enlarged wera playing
The high notes have all the brill
r fancy of strings, but in descendin.
the scale the tones APPROACH tn,
timbfe of wind Instruments, lik,
the organ. The purity of ton
Ia throughout makes other musica
sounds comparatively coarse. |
is continued and singing, and it
ie volume is regulated by the toucl
of the player and the pressure O
of the pedal; It'll only harmonic
the octave. 1t is a wonderful
P success, considered the steel hook
were forged upon an ordinary an
=. vii, and have flaws and imperfet
tons that will be avoided whe
they are cut by the proper machu
:, cry. Doubtless there viii be man
notifications and improvement:
but there can be no1e in tn
acoustic principle Developed
Theoretically its power is withou
limit. 1t would be as easy to civ
Dc, it range of ten Octaves as sever
and its volume may be vastly il
creased by greater bulk in til
= steel hooks. Chimes could be- &
i readily constructed as an instr
>, ment for the concertrOlm or pa
- Tor. As there is no tension,
~ cannot get out of tune, and not
ing about it out of order but I'll
=, action. Its simplicity, its dur
81 bility, It's quality of tone, its pos>
=. BILE cheapness of cOnstfuctio
~ point it out as the instrument {
" which the ''music of the futur
will be played in nearly evel
he house in the country.