Improvements in Harps.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Harps.
I, GUSTAVE FRANTZ LYON of 58 Chaussee D'Antin, Paris, in the Republic
of France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in harps and has for its object to so
construct or arrange them that they are simple in construction and can be more
easily played on than can harps as hitherto constructed or arranged.
I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
which illustrate a harp provided with the improvements according to this invention,
but I do not limit myself to the precise details illustrated.
Figure 1 shews a harp in elevation the part of the frame comprising the
sounding board being in section so as to shew the interior thereof, aud Figure 2
is a vertical section taken along the line A to K Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a cross section of the frame taken ou the line L M Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a front view of the sounding board and dampers.
Figure 5 is a longitudinal section shewing one of the damper keys and its
operating mechanism in side elevation.
Figure 6 is a transverse section of the sounding board taken on the line NO
Figure 4.
A harp constructed according to my invention is a chromatic harp, without
pedals for altering the key or raising the pitch and an important feature is that
the harpist always has under his fingers all the notes of the scales from the lowest
notes of the piano for example the lowest C to the highest notes for example the
7th G
In harps as ordinarily constructed one set of strings is employed arranged in one
plane giving the different octaves of the scale of Eb in succession but the number
of strings usually does not exceed forty seven. Moreover these harps require
seven pedals for altering the key, or pitch, which renders their playing exceedingly
difficult and entails complications in the mechanism.
In a harp constructed according to my invention these disadvantages are overcome
by the use of two sets of strings in two planes instead of the single set used
hitherto.
The strings c of the first set are arranged in one plane slightly inclined to the
vertical line of the harp, Figures 1 and 2 and give the notes for the scale of
C natural, and the strings c' of the second set are arranged in another plane an:1
give the flats or sharps. The strings of the sets c and c¹ cross each other as shewn
in Figure 2.
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In this manner the harpist when playing the instrument in the ordinary manner
has under his right hand in the upper part of the instrument the notes of the
scale in the key of C natural, while under the left hand in the lower part of the
instrument on the other side of the vertical line of the harp are these same notes
whilst a chromatic scale can be played by a glissando movement over the
strings at the part where they. cross. The sharps or flats are played by the right
band in the lower part of the instrument and by the left hand in the upper part.
The strings can however be arranged so that the reverse of this is the case.
distance of a string from that giving the semi-tone above or below (which will be
in a different plane of strings) will be about half the interval between the strings in
The

page_text: ordinary harps and I select the point of intersection of the planes of the two sets
of strings, so that when they are caused to vibrate together no jarring sound,
owing to their touching each other, is produced. To prevent this jarring the
planes of the two sets of strings should not cross mid-way where the maximum
vibrations occur but more towards their upper or their lower ends.
It will be
understood that the same hand can sound notes at will, either naturals, sharps or
flats, according as the strings are touched above or below the line of intersection of
the planes of the two sets of strings.
With this arrangement of crossed strings each string may correspond to a
. different note, and if for example there are 85 strings there will be 85 notes that
can be played without the use of pedals.
The method of attaching the crossed strings in my improved harp also constitutes
a feature in the invention and is effected in the following manner.
Within the frame I of the harp are fixed two parallel boards 2 carrying hooks
or catches to which the lower ends of the strings are attached. Each string then
passes through a hole formed in the sounding board H and its two covering strips C
the upper ends of the strings being wound round tuning pins 4 attached to the
neck one set of strings starting from the strip C on the right side of the harp
and extending upwardly across the frame to the left side of the neck and the other
set starting from the strip on the left side and extending up to the right side of
the neck. In this manner the sounding board Hinstead of being raised as in the
sounding boards of ordinary harps to which the strings are directly attached is
merely compressed in an upward direction. Moreover by the placement of the
hooks or the like 3 along the parts 2 the direction and position of the resultant
of the forces caused by the vibrating portion of the string on the one hand and the
attaching part on the other may be provided for. The sounding board thus plays
the part of the bridge of a piano. This device for protecting the sounding board
is necessary in a harp constructed according to my invention as the said sounding
board would have otherwise to resist a force of traction at least twice as great as
in ordinary harps.
Each of the boards 2 is strengthened and made rigid by means of metal straps
or ties L, Figures 1 and 2 fixed to both ends of the said strip and bearing at
their centre on a bridge picce M so that each strip; forms, as it were, a truss
girder.
As the strings of a harp constructed according to this invention, are arranged.
chromatically a damper as used in pianos necessary. The said damper which is
common to all the strings requiring it consists of a pallet or board 5 Figures 1
and 2 turning on trunnions 6 mounted in bearings fixed, the one on the sounding
board and the other on the pillar g of the harp. The reverse sides of the said
pallet are provided with strips of felt or like material which bear against both sets
of the strings when the damper is turned on its trunnions which movement may be
imparted by means of a pedal 7 to which is attached a cord 8 situated within the
pillar g Figure 2, the upper end of the said cord passing over anti-friction rollers 11
in the pillar 9 and a small pulley 10 on the lower trunnion 6 and terminating in a
spring attached to 'the pillar g. When the pedal is not depressed it is kept in its
raised position by the tension of the spring, and then the damper 5 is in a vertical
plane between the two sets of strings and out of contact with either of them.
When the pedal is depressed the cord 8 is drawn down causing the damper 5 to be
partly rotated in its bearings and the felts to, bear on both sets of strings and this
position is retained until the pressure is removed from the pedal. Or the damper
may be so arranged that in its normal position it is always against the strings, and
is removed therefrom by depressing the pedal.
'
In order to obtain on a harp constructed according to this invention an effect
much used by artistes which is obtained by a "glissando". movement, I provide an
arrangement consisting of keys 'provided with dampers as shewn in detail in
Figures 4, 5 and 6.
In this arrangement the damper of the keyboard is formed of twelve rods t

page_text: seven being on the side of one set of strings and five on the other. The said rods
arranged one over the other are situated on the sounding board H and can slide
along or between the wood strips C which are employed for strengthening the
sounding board where the strings pass through them. These metal damper rods
can slide one on the other, and are retained in position by means of screws passing
through oblong holes. To each rod t leather fingers d are attached corresponding
to a string c of each octave. Each rod by its sliding motion can act as a damper
to all the strings corresponding to C: for example all the C strings, and merely
the contact of the finger d prevents the corresponding string vibrating in a glissando
movement.
Each rod is set in motion by a corresponding button B mounted on a rod K,
connected to a lever D attached to a spindle and by the partial rotation of
the said spindle, movement is imparted to the tappet A. The latter passes through
a slot in the rod t of corresponding width being capable of oscillating in the longer
slots of the other rods. A spring R bears against the rod K keeping it in its
forward position with the washer b against the sounding board H. In this position
the fingers d of the rods t are removed from the strings c which strings are only
touched when the buttons B are pressed so that the washers b catch behind the
nose of the spring catch which keeps the fingers on the strings.
The spring catches are mounted on a rod T which by means of a button can
be moved in the direction of its length so as to disengage all the rods K which
by the springs R remove the fingers d of the rods from the strings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare, that
what I claim is :
1. An improved chromatic harp, without pedals for altering the key or pitch,
and provided with two sets of strings in planes crossing each other substantially
as hereinbefore described.
2. In harps two wooden boards for attaching the strings and made rigid by
means of cords or straps fixed to their ends and passing over a bridge at the centre
thereof substantially as hereinbefore described.
3. The application to a harp constructed as set forth in Claim I of two auxiliary
key boards for damping at will any desired note through all the octaves the said
key board being provided with tringles or rods sliding over each other and carrying
lateral fingers d which may be applied to any desired string by depressing a button
and so displacing the corresponding tringle or rod to effect the required damping
of the strings substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
accompanying drawings.
4. The application to a harp arranged as in the first claim, of a damper formed
of a pallet or rod placed between the two series of strings and a pedal by means
of which the dainper can be applied to the inner side of the two sets of strings
for causing simultaneous damping thereof substantially as herein before described.
Dated this 9th day of April 1895.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.