IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHMENTS TO OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH VIOLINS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey, for the
Invention of " IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACHMENTS TO OR APPARATUS TO BE
USED IN CONNECTION WITH VIOLINS." A communication from abroad by
Ole Bull, of Bergen, County of Oos, in the Kingdom of Norway.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd April 1879.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton, in the County of Surrey. "IMPROVEMENTS IN ATTACH-
MENTS TO OR APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH VIOLINS." A com-
munication from abroad by Ole Bull, of Bergen, County of Oos, in the Kingdom of
Norway.
I have found in many years of constant practise and careful study of the violin
that in order to bring out most perfectly its capacities for fine tone and expression,
there must be no interference with resonance or vibrations of its body. The contact
of the player's clothing and chin with the body of the violin held in the usual
manner partially muffles the instrument and interferes with its resonance, and as
the violin is usually held in such position that the clothing and chin are in contact
with it only at one side of its longitudinal centro, it follows that the equilibrium of
the instrument is disturbed, the vibrations of only one side or half being affected
without a corresponding interference with the vibrations of the opposite half.
These causes, viz., the interference with the vibrations and the disturbances of the
equilibrium so affect the tones of the instrument that to a trained and. sensitive
ear the poetic feeling or expression of a performance is often marred. A detachable
chin rest has been provided which has to be clamped to the violin at one side only
of the longitudinal centre, but this device being in contact with the resonant portion
of the violin interfered both with the vibrations and the equilibrium and does not
There is in every
keep the player's clothing from contact with the instrument.
violin a block or piece called the stay block which is located inside the instrument
and is glued firmly to the top, bottom, and end pieces, and receives the pin or peg
which holds the loop of the tail piece. It is obvious that the portions of the violin
which are backed by this block are not resonant, the block being of considerable
This
size, and thus imparting stiffness to the parts in contact with its surface.
stiffness is increased by the pressure exerted on the instrument at this point by the

page_text: tension of the strings which amounts to nearly or quite 100 pounds. My Invention
consists in an attachment formed to bear only upon this non-resonant portion of the
violin and insulate the adjoining resonant portions of the violin from the chin or from
the clothing of the player or from both, and thus prevent any interference with the
resonance or vibrations and equilibrium of the instrument, as I will now proceed to
describe. Of the accompanying Drawing forming a part of this Specification, Figure 1
represents a top view of a portion of a violin provided with my improved attachment;
Fig. 2 represents an end view of the same; Fig. 3 represents a section on line
x, x, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of the attachment removed;
Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of the tail piece peg; Fig. 6 represents a
section on line x', x', Fig. 1; Fig. 7 represents a sectional view showing, a modifica-
tion of the attachment and the means for applying it to the instrument; Fig. 8
represents a section on line 3, y, Fig. 7; Fig. 9 represents a side view of the modi-
fication shown in section in Fig. 15; Fig. 10 represents a rear view of the attach-
ment in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 represents a side view of another modification; Fig. 12
represents a section on 2, 2, Fig. 11; Fig. 13 represents another modification ;
Figs. 14, 15, 16, and 17 represent further modifications.
Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the Figures.
In the Drawings, A represents the body of a violín; B represents the tail piece to
which the strings are attached; C represents the peg to which the loop E of the
tail piece is attached, and F represents the stay block which is located inside the
body of the violin in such positions as to receive the peg C, and is 'glued firmly to
the top, bottom, and end of the violin as usual; H. represents my improved attach-
ment, the essential features of which are that it shall touch or bear upon only the
portion of the violin that is backed by the stay block and form one or more guards
or rests which project over and are insulated from the adjoining resonant portions
of the violin. This attachment may be made of wood, hard rubber, metal, or any
suitable material and may be attached in any desired manner to the specified por-
tions of the violin, I prefer to construct the attachment so that it will protect and
insulate both sides of the violin and will be capable of being readily applied and
removed. In Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Drawings, I have shown the attachment
and means for applying the same to a violin in as simple and convenient and
practical form as I am at present aware of. This form of the attachment is preferably
made of wood and is composed of a central web or plate 6, adapted as hereinafter
described to be securely attached to the specified portion of a violin so as to stand
about parallel with the end thereof, and tongues or rests 4, 5, adapted respectively
to project over and under the resonant portions of the instrument adjoining the
non-resonant portion to which the web or plate 6 is attached, said parts being so
formed that when attached to the violin they will not touch nor be in contact with
any portion of the instrument excepting that backed by the stay block. The
tongue or rest 4 projects over the resonant portion of the violin on which the player's
chin naturally rests, and is preferably hollowed or concaved on its upper surface to
fit the chin. One end of the rest 4 is preferably extended to form a bridge or guard
3 projecting over and protecting the end of the tail piece without touching the same,
so that the player's chin cannot come in contact with the tail piece, such contact
being also objectionable for the reason that it interferes with the vibrations. The
tongue or rest 5 projects under the resonant portion of the instrument which
naturally rests on the player's coat and keeps the violin from contact with the coat,
henco I term it a coat rest. It is preferably narrower and longer than the chin
rest 4 as shown, and in the present instance is extended towards the right of the
player further than the rest 4, although this is not essential. To attach the attach-
ment described to a violin I make a square or equivalently shaped hole I in tho
web or plate 6 and form on the outer end of the peg C a projection C adapted to
enter and fit snugly in the hole I, and thus support the attachment and prevent it
from turning. I also provide the peg C with an enlargement C² forming a broad
bearing surface for the back side of the web or plate 6, and this enlargement may
if desired enter a correspondingly shaped socket or recess sunk in the back of the web

page_text: or plate, as shown in Fig. 6. C³ represents a detachable head which I apply to the outer
end of the peg C to bear against the outer side of the web or plate 6, and prevent the
removal of the attachment. This head may be screwed into the end of the peg C,
as shown in Fig. 6, or it may be in the form of a nut screwed on to the threaded
end of the peg. I prefer the former construction since it does not require an increase
in the length of the peg, which would often be objectionable, as it would require
an alteration of the case in which the violin is kept. By these means I am
enabled to readily apply and remove the attachment and hold it securely when
applied, the peg C entirely supporting the attachment, and as this peg is supported
by the stay block, and is prevented from turning readily by the powerful tension of
the strings of the violin, it follows that the attachment has no connection with the
resonant portion of the instrument, and is held firmly and rigidly. It will be seen
that the attachment insulates the resonant portions of the violin, all pressure exerted
thereon being sustained by the non-resonant portion backed by the stay block,
hence there is no disturbance of the vibrations or equilibrium of the violin, and the
skilled performer is relieved from all apprehension that the feeling or expression of
his performance will be injured by the contact of his chin or clothing with the
instrument. I do not limit myself to any special form of the attachment nor to any
particular means for applying it to the specified portion of the violin. In Figs. 6, 7, 8,
9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 I have shown several modifications. In Figs. 7,
8, 11, 12, and 13 the web or plate 6 is provided with a shank p, square or equiva-
Jently shaped, and the peg C is provided with a socket h formed to receive the
shank and hold the same firmly so that it will not turn therein. In Figs. 9, 10,
14, 15, 16, and 17 I have shewn means whereby the attachment is held in contact
with the violin partly or wholly by the loop E.
The attachment when thus con-
structed is composed of a base or bar 1 (formed to fit in a mortic or recess cut
in the violin), a space or opening 2 over the bar 1 for the passage\ he loop E, a
bridge or guard 3 projecting over the end of the tail piece, and the tones or rests
4, 5, attached rigidly to the base 1, and arranged as already described with relation
to the body of the violin. The bar 1 is preferably glued to the recess when made of a
material capable of being so fastened, and is held firmly against the violin by the
pressure of the loop E, which is alone sufficient to hold the attachment in the recess,
said loop being always tightly pressed against the bar by the tension of the strings
of the violin. When the attachment thus constructed is not glued it can be
removed at any time by disengaging the loop E from its peg. The lower tongue or
rest 5 may be made adjustable, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, to accommodate the
attachment to violins of different sizes. In case it is desired to make the attach-
ment serve as a chin rest only the tongue or rest 5 may be omitted, as shown in
Figs. 16 and 17, the construction being the same in other respects as that already
described, and in case it is desired to provide only a coat rest the attachment may
be made as shown in Fig. 13.
I claim as my Invention,―
1st. A chin rest attachment for a violin, adapted to bear upon or to be secured to
the non resonant portion of the instrument backed by the stay block and afford a
chin rest or bearing projecting over and isolated from the adjoining resonant portion
of the instrument, as set forth.
2nd. A chin rest attachment for a violin adapted to bear upon or be secured to
the non-resonant portion of the instrument back by the stay block, and afford a
chin rest or bearing and a cover or guard for the tail piece, projecting over and inso-
lated from the resonant portion of the instrument and from the tail piece, as set forth.
3rd. An insulating attachment for a violin adapted to bear upon or be secured to
the non-resonant portion of the instrument backed by the stay block and afford a
coat bearing or guard projecting under and insulated from the adjoining resonant
portion of the instrument, as set forth.
4th. An insulating attachment for a violin adapted to bear upon or be secured
to the non-resonant portion of the instrument backed by the stay block, and afford

page_text: two guards projecting respectively over and under the adjoining resonant portions
of the instrument and isolated from said portions.
5th. An insulating attachment substantially as described, provided with a square
or equivalently shaped hole to receive a correspondingly shaped projection on a
violin, as set forth.
6th. In combination with the insulating attachment having a hole I, means sub-
stantially as described whereby said attachment is detachably secured to the portion
of the instrument backed by the stay block.
7th. The peg C of a violin provided near its outer end with a square or equiva-
lently shaped projection and a detachable head or nut, as set forth.
8th. The combination of the insulating attachment having a hole I with the peg
C, having the projection adapted to fit in the hole, and the removable head or nut
C adapted to secure the attachment to the peg.
9th. In combination with a violin an attachment connected by suitable means
with the non resonant portion of the instrument backed by the stay block, and
forming an isolated guard or insulator, arranged as described with reference to the
resonant portion or portions of the instrument, as set forth.
10th. A chin rest or insulator for violins, having a base adapted to be attached
to the body of the instrument and an isolated tongue or tongues suitably connected
to the base, and projecting to guard the adjoining resonant portion or portions of
the instrument, as set forth.
11th. A chin rest or insulator for violins, having a base adapted to be attached to
the body of the instrument, two insulated tongues 4, 5, suitably connected to the
base, and a web or plate 6 connecting the tongues, as set forth.
12th. The described chin rest attachment for violins formed to bear upon the
portion of the instrument backed by the stay block and adapted to be held in
contact with the instrument by the loop of the tail piece, as set forth.
13th. A chin rest or insulator for violins composed of a bar or base 1, a space 2
over said bar for the passage of the tail piece loop, a bridge or guard 3 for the end
of the tail piece, and a tongue 4 or tongues 4, 5, suitably connected to the bar or
base, as set forth.
14th. In combination with a violin having a recess or seat over the stay block,
the described attachment having a bar or base adapted to fit in said recess and be
held therein by the cord or loop of the tail piece, as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sydney Pitt, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty first day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy nine.
SYDNEY PITT. (L.S.)