New-York tribune., 1919-02-23

greater Importance He was poet,
patriot, satirist, musical performer
musical composer and an inven-
tor of musical Instruments He was
also the friend of Washington, Jeffer-
son and Franklin, a member of the
Continental Congress, signer Of the
Declaration of Independence and author
Of the words of "Hail, Columbia" a
patriotic song much more popular fifty
years ago than it is now. He also
wrote "The Battle of Kegs" made
version of the Psalms for the Reformed
Protestant Dutch Church in New York
when the English language supplantcd
Dutch IL the Reformed service. and
was the recipient, under the philoso-
piers Will, of Benjamin Franklin's
scientific Instruments. AS an inventor
he perfected a system for quilting the
harpsichord, "first unison with sole
leather we'll rubb'd with Black Lead
the Second Unison kind of soft Mo-
rocco Leather for the Piano of the
instrument, e. the Octave with wooden
Tongues polish'd with black Lead, for
giving Vivacity to the whole-all |
mounted on Springs" He enlisted the
interest of jefferson in his improve
ment of the harpschord jacks, and
from Paris the author of the Declara-
tion of Independence wrote to him at
some length, confassing that his invcn-
tion had given his purpose to buy
planoforte (then a now tangled in
strument) pause, though the purchase
was recommended by a noted pianist of
that day. Hopkinson had intrusted
Jefferson with the business Of exploit
ing his Improvement in Paris. and
Mr.. Sonneck prints letter in which
Mr.. Jefferson reports his first failure
and which gives US a unique picture Of
what some great Americans we're do |
ing in Paris 1874 years ago. Under date !
July 6, 1855, Jefferson writes to Hop
kinson:
81 do not despair yet of availine
you of 1T as soon as | can get ac-
quanted with some of the principal
musicians, but that probably will not
be till the beginning Of winter, as all
the beau monde leave Paris in the
summer, during which the musical
entertainments of a private nature are
suspended. | communicated with Doctor
Franklin your idea of Mesmerzing the
Harpsichord. He has not tried it prob
ably because his affairs have been long
packed packing, as | do not play on
that instrument myself | can not
try it myself. the Doctor carries with
him pretty little instrument. 1t is
the sticcado, with glass bars instead
of wooden ones and the keys applied
to it. its principal defect is the want
of extent, having but three octaves I
wish you would exercise your ingenu-
ity to give it an upper and lower
octave, by finding out other substance
which will yield tones in those parts
of the scale, bearing proper affinity
to those of glass bars. the middle oc-
tave is very sweet"
Think of Benjamin Franklin, Amer
lean Commissioner to France, playing
on the "sticcado," and two other sign
ers OF tho Declaration of independence
seriously interesting themselves in what
we would now consider a mere play
thing! But Franklin was himself the
inventor Of the "harmohicon" or "mu-
sicai glasses," which held tho serious
attention Of musicians for at least two
decades Of the nineteenth century.
franklin took the old musical glasses,
"hich were Eoblets tuned to n scale,
and affixed them to spindle which
was made to revolvc by trcadle
The rims of the glasses passed through
trough OF water and the player
caused them to sound by touching them
with his fingers az they rcvolvcd be-
fore him. Franklin's Improvement
made chords possible. and what had