IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO- FORTES, HARMONIUMS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Tongue, of Kennington, in the County
of Surrey, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANO-
FORTES, HARMONIUMS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
FORTES, HARMONIUMS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Sealed the 25th July 1871, and dated the 28th January 1871.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Tongue at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th January 1871.
I, WILLIAM TONGUE, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES, HARMONIUMS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,"
to be as follows:
-:
One part of my present improvements relates to pianofortes and
other similar musical instruments wherein sound is produced from the
vibrations of strings or wires in a state of tension, such vibrations being
caused by the blow of a " hammer."
In pianofortes the felt with which the hammers are covered becomes
worn at that part which strikes against the wires or strings. Such wires

page_text: present but a small surface to the felt of the hammer, and nicks or
grooves become worn into such felt opposite each wire or string, thereby
injuring the felt and deteriorating the brilliancy of tone and delicacy of
touch of the instrument. The grooves worn into the felt cause the
hammer to cling slightly to the wires or strings and interfere with the
quick recoil of the hammer. The "action" of the pianoforte is adjusted
so as to give a certain force of blow to the string when the felt upon the
hammer is perfect, but after such felt becomes worn the space travelled
over by the hammer before striking the string is increased, and the
amount of force upon the key required to produce a certain amount of
sound is altered, and as the wear of the various notes is not equal the
equality of the touch is thus injuriously affected.
Now in order to present an increased surface for the hammer to strike
against, according to one part of my Invention, I form the metal wires or
strings flattened or broader at one part of their section than at the other 1
part, and I so arrange such wires or strings that the hammer will strike
against the broad or flattened part of the wires or strings, whereby the
felt on the hammer will be to a great extent preserved from wear.
In pianofortes it has been the practice to employ in some cases two
and in other cases three wires or strings for each hammer, the vibrations 2
of the two or the three strings when struck by the hammer combining
to produce one tone or note. Now it is important that the two or the
three strings should be drawn to such a degree of tension that each of
such strings may produce precisely the same number of vibrations, and
so produce the same musical tone, and the tuner must give much 2
attention and time to effect this. Moreover the two or the three wires if
brought to precisely the requisite tension are (except under the most
constant attention) liable to vary one from the other after the lapse of a
short time, and unless cach of the two or the three strings employed is
brought to and remains at such a degree of tension as will give the same 3
number of vibrations, the tone produced by the blow of the hammer is.
not pure in quality.
Now according to another part of my Invention I employ one metal
wire or string in place of two or of three of such strings for each
hammer, such wire or string being formed flat, like metal tape, or clock 3
spring, as broad as the striking surface of the hammer, or of sufficient
breadth to prevent the felt on the hammer from being worn away in one.

page_text: part. I secure such flat wires or strings at one end by forming a loop
and inserting a wire transversely of such loop, such transverse wire
being drawn against and held by metal pins, or a hole may be formed in
such flat wire, or nicks cut in the sides thereof by which to attach such
flat wire at one end in the pianoforte. I pass the other ends of the flat
wires or strings over the bridge and to the tightening screws, and draw
such strings to the proper tension by attaching the ends of the wires or
strings by similar means to those above described to a screw or nut upon
a screw, or to a loose collar upon a screw, and I so form and arrange
the tightening contrivances that the necessary tension can be readily
obtained, and so that such tension will not become relaxed except at
the will of the tuner,
According to another part of my present improvements when employing
flat metal wires or strings I cause such strings to vibrate and produce
musical notes by means of a current of air directed against such strings
when a valve is opened, such valve being actuated from the keyboard of
the instrument. I attach a metal clasp or surface to the flat wire or
string for the air to impinge against.
According to another part of my Invention I combine with a piano-
forte apparatus for producing and directing a current of air upon the
flat metal strings or wires having a metal clasp or surface attached
thereto, as above described, so that the vibrations of such strings pro-
duced by the blow of the hammer may be maintained by the current of
air, a valve being opened to allow the current of air to escape upon the
flat string or wire when the key is touched.
Another part of my Invention relates to harmoniums, organs, and
other musical instruments where currents of air are employed to pro-
duce the musical notes. According to this part of my Invention I
employ valves of such a form that the passage for the air is larger or
smaller according to the amount of movement given to the valve. In
some cases I employ conical valves, or valves having a conical pro-
longation, so formed that the passage for the air is increased the higher
the valve is lifted. According to this part of my Invention I so arrange
the "action or mechanism for raising the valve that in proportion to
the amount of force used by the performer on the keys of the instru-
ment the passage for the air will be opened to a greater or less extent,
and so as to produce a louder or a softer note. Various means and con-
trivances may be employed to raise the valve, but in some cases I
"

page_text: employ a lever, which may be balanced. The key of the instrument
actuates this lever, and the momentum imparted to the lever by the
key acts to raise the valve more or less, and so open a wider or narrower
passage for the air, and thus produce a louder or softer note at the will
of the performer. By this means considerable power of expression can
be obtained in harmoniums and similar musical instruments. By means
of a friction weight or spring the lever by which the valve is raised is
retained in such a position as will keep the valve open until the key is
released, when a cord or tape attached to the key closes the valve.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Tongue in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th July 1871.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
TONGUE, of Kennington, in the County of Surrey, Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one, in the
thirty-fourth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Tongue, Her special
licence that I, the said William Tongue, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Tongue, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
. vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
.Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
PIANOFORTES, HARMONIUMS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," upon the con-
dition (amongst others) that I, the said William Tongue, my executors
or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to
be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of
the said Letters Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Tongue, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, that is to say :-
In the Provisional Specification filed by me on the day of the date of
the Letters Patent granted to me for my present Invention I have
described certain improvements in pianofortes and certain other improve-
ments in harmoniums and other wind instruments.
Now since filing the said Specification I have been informed and
believe that the improvements in pianofortes described in the said
Provisional Specification had been described in the Specifications of
Letters Patent prior to the date of the said Provisional Specification, I
therefore shall not further describe the said improvements in pianofortes
and I make no claim to such improvements, but I will proceed to describe
my improvements for giving expression in harmoniums, organs, and
other musical instruments where currents of air are employed to act
upon vibrating tongues or other vibrating instruments so as to produce
musical sounds.
The Drawing shows a section of so much of a musical instrument
having my improvements applied thereto as will enable me to explain
the same.
a is a wind box into which air is forced by means of bellows in the
ordinary manner. When the valve c is opened air is admitted from
the wind box a to the passage or chamber b. The reed or other vibrating
instrument d for producing sound is placed at the outlet 6' of the
passage or chamber b. The valve c moves upon a fulcrum at c¹ and is
closed by the spring c². The valve o is formed with a projecting part c³
which enters the orifice or passage between the wind box a and the
passage or chamber b, and the projecting part c³ is so formed as to
increase the size of the orifice between the chamber a and the passage b
the further the valve c is moved from its seat. By means of the projec-
tion upon the valve c the orifice through which the wind passes from
the chamber a to the passage 6 is made larger or smaller according to the
distance the valve c is moved from its seat, and the amount of air passing
from the wind box a is thereby regulated so as to produce a louder or
softer note. The valve c is opened more or less according to the
с

page_text: momentum imparted by the finger of the performer to the key c, and so
long as the key e is held down by the finger the valve c remains open
and in the position imparted to it by the momentum of the touch.
When the key e is touched it is pressed down upon the key rail e¹ and
held there so long as it is desired to sound the note, but the size of the
orifice between the chamber a and the passage b is governed by the
momentum imparted to the key, and a louder or softer note is thereby
produced according to the touch of the performer, and this is effected in
the following manner:-When the key e is pressed down the end e³ of the
key acts upon the lever f. The lever turns upon a fulcrum at f¹, and
when the lever f is moved by the key it comes in contact with and
moves the lever g turning on a fulcrum at g¹. The lever g is connected
to the valve c by the wire h passing through the wind box a, and
according to the momentum imparted to the lever fit will act to open
the valve c more or less; i is a lever turning upon a fulcrum at ; is
a break piece hinged to the lever i. When the key e is pressed down
the lever i is moved by means of a connecting rod or "sticker" j between
the end e² of the key lever and the lever i. When the key is pressed
down the lever i is moved and the break piece is brought into contact
with the circular surface f* formed upon the lever f, and the break
piece acts to prevent the return of the lever funtil the key is released,
thus holding the valve c in the position given to it by the original
momentum given to the key until the key is released, when the lever i
is moved so as to remove the break piece from the surface f*, and the
spring acts to close the valve. k is a weighted lever turning upon a
fulcrum at k¹. The lever k is connected to the leverf by the rod 1, and
the lever kacts to ensure the return of the lever f when released by the
break piece. The lever g is so adjusted in relation to the lever that
when the key is pressed down upon the key rail e¹ the valve c is opened
sufficiently to produce the softest sound of which the reed d is capable,
and so that the key e cannot be pressed down however slowly without
opening the valve c sufficiently to produce a sound. The circular
part of the lever f is covered with leather, and the other parts of the
action which are subject to friction or require to be muffled are also
covered with leather or felt, as is well understood in the construction of
musical instruments.

page_text: position of the parts may be greatly altered without departing from the
nature of my Invention, and if desired when constructing an instrument
according to my Invention several stops may be employed with several
rows of vibrators, and the "reeds" may be enclosed in pipes, and also
in place of air being forced out of the wind box a as above described
the air may be drawn into the wind box through the vibrators, and the
instrument may be combined with the "expression stop" and the other
apparatus hitherto employed when constructing harmoniums and organs.
And when constructing instruments according to my Invention an
escape aperture formed in the chamber 6 may be closed more or less by
the momentum given to the key or otherwise so as to increase or
diminish the current of air passing over the "reed.”
What I claim is regulating the expression in harmoniums and organs
by the momentum imparted to the key by the performer, substantially
as herein-before described.
I also claim the combination of parts herein-before described for giving
expression to harmoniums and organs.
I also claim the application and use of the momentum lever fand the
lever i and break piece ², substantially as and for the purposes hercin-
before described.
I also claim the application and use of the valve c formed with a
projecting piece c³ for regulating the size of the passage for the air in
instruments when the sound is produced by the vibration of a spring or
reed acted upon by a current of air.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Tongue, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-eighth day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-one.