IMPROVE- MENTS IN ORGAN PIANOS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edouard Alexandre, Organ Builder, of Paris, and of
16, Castle Street, Holborn, City, London, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ORGAN PIANOS."
Sealed the 24th April 1855, and dated the 3rd November 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edouard Alexandre at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
3rd November, 1854.
.
I, EDOUARD ALEXANDRE, Organ Builder, of Paris, and of 16, Castle'Street,
Holborn, City, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGAN PIANOS " to be as follows:-
My improvements apply to organ pianos, or those instruments in which the
mechanisms of the piano and organ are combined; but at the time this com
bination was first effected reed organs did not embody those improvements
that have been applied to them since, and the combination of two instruments,
as it was then effected, offered so much inconvenience that this system wa
'was
abandoned in consequence. The present improvements are intended to remove
these inconveniences, and consist of one or more combinations of implements
or parts already known, but having never been combined or put together before.
One of the principal advantages or features of this combination is to have the
mechanisms of the organ and of the piano independent of each other, so as to

page_text: facilitate the repair of either of them. The draw stops are also arranged
according to a peculiar plan.
In order better to define the nature of this Invention, I will divide it into
the following parts or characterizing features, the whole of which form or may
be made to form a new system or set of combinations:-Possibility of uniting
in-small space a great number of stops; a new combination or application of
the draw rods (tirasses) of the stops; arranging the organ upon slides, for the
purpose of leaving the cords uncovered, so as to facilitate changing or cording;
a certain way.of. arranging. or placing the bellows, for ensuring better working
and a better supply of wind than usual; a certain arrangement of the sound-
board of the organ, for the purpose of improving the quality of the tone;
arranging the key-board of the organ in such manner as to bring it nearer to
that of the piano; an arrangement of the organ pedals, intended to facilitate
the use of the piano pedals;-an-arrangement for causing the harmony to be
continued without keeping the fingers on the keys,i. e., that the notes shall at
will cease or continue to sound when. the fingers; leave the keys for touching
other notes; also the general combination, arrangement, and union of the
pieces constituting the new piano organ.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent; filed
by the said Edouard Alexandre in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
2nd May 1855.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDOUARD
ALEXANDRE, Organ Builder, of Paris, and of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City),
London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of November, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
-the-said-Edouard-Alexandre, Her_special_licence_that_I,_the_said Edouard
Alexandre, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Edouard Alexandre, 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 "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN ORGAN PIANOS," upon the condition (amongst others) that J, the said

page_text: Edouard Alexandre, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal,
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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Edouard Alexandre, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement :-
This Invention relates to organ pianos, or that class of instruments in which
the mechanisms of the piano and of the organ are combined in the same box.
Instruments of this kind have for some time past, been devised and carried
into effect, but partly on account of reed organs not having then attained the
degree of perfection at which they have arrived at present, and from other
inconveniences arising from the combination of the two instruments, they were
altogether abandoned. The present improvements are intended to obviate
these inconveniences, by leaving the mechanism of the two instruments quite
independent of each other, which is a novel feature, and facilitates the repairs
in each of the two; there is also a particular arrangement of the reed stops.
The improved piano organs shew several combinations of parts, some of the
latter being already known, but not having been combined before. These novel
combinations, which it is intended to secure by these Letters Patent, will be
best understood by reference to the annexed Sheets of Drawings, on which the
like parts are indicated by the same letters of reference.
Fig. 1, Sheet 1, is a front elevation of the instrument; Fig. 2 is a vertical
section, through the lines 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, through
the lines 3, 4, Fig. 1; Fig. 4 represents a vertical cross section, through the
lines 5 & 6 of Fig. 5, shewing the working of the draw rods; Fig. 5 shews
a horizontal projection or plan of the two ends of the organ key-board and
stops; Fig. 6 shews a plan, the sound-board being opened, for the purpose
of shewing the different modes of playing with the reeds with vibrating
blades.
Sheet 2 represents an instrument in which the above improvements are
combined, with a different mode of connecting the organ with the piano;
shewing also an application of the percussion principle to the same, and cer-
tain means for lengthening out the sounding of tones whilst the fingers are
already lifted off the key-board, the latter effects being obtained and stopped
again at will and instantaneously by moving the knee, the same as on Sheet 1.
Fig. 1 is an external front view of an instrument in which the piano & organ

page_text: "
are combined, in a manner differing from that shewn on Sheet 1; Fig. 2 is a
vertical cross section, through the lines 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is another
elevation, parallel to Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the pianoforte is shewn in section,
the box containing the mechanism of the organ being shewn externally. In
the same Fig. the upper portion of the organ box is, shewn open, in lines dotted
with lines & points. By the arrangement of the organ box shewn, it will
be seen that a greater facility is obtained for stringing the piano, and getting
at-the-vibrating blades and other mechanical parts of the organ. Fig. 4,
Sheet 2, is a vertical section, through the line 3, 4, of Fig. 5, shewing the
connection between the draw rods and stops, and the contrivance for causing
the tones to sound longer than the finger touches the key; Fig. 5 is a plan
of the two ends of the key-board; Fig. 6. is a plan of the large open case, in
which the bottom of the top part is brought into the same plane as the top of
the lower part. In this arrangement the percussion system is combined with
the mechanism of the organ in such manner as to produce sounds instanta-
neously. For instance, supposing the key a, Fig. 2, to be depressed, the pilot'b
causes the valve c to be opened instantly, and the pilot d causes the hammer e
to act, which latter, striking the vibrating blade f, produces an instantaneous
sound; even if the valves should stick or fail to act. In Fig. 2 it will also be
observed that the horizontal stem or stalk.of the valve c has on the side oppo-
site this valve a small vertical lever or bell crank, which at each depression of
a' key is held by a small tumbler i, thus keeping the valve open. The lever
is disengaged from the tumbler by pushing one of the two pieces j; Figs: 1, 2,
& 3, with the knee. These small tumblers i are carried by small moveable
levers, which allow them to return to their original position, when made to do
so by the knee, by means of the pieces j, which transniit the motion to the bar r,
the latter being acted upon by springs fastened to the tumblers i. By means
of this arrangement, the player can hold out the tones as-may be required,
whilst the fingers. leave the keys touched upon & pass to others, and the
sounding of the notes may be stopped at will by the knee. In the two instru-
ments shewn for illustration on the accompanying Sheets of Drawing, it will
_be.seen that they have-two-key-boards-each,-that-are-always-visible-or-in-sight-
when the instruments are open. The second key-board may be mounted on a
slide beneath the first in such manner that when it is desired to play the piano
alone, only one key-board is left in sight, and when it is desired to employ the-
organ, this may
be done by drawing the lower key-board out again. Amongst
the different parts that these novel arrangements are made up of,-there-are-
some which have already been known & used before; but I wish it to be
distinctly understood that what I claim as novel, & therefore being secured
:

page_text: to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, are, several new
combinations and improvements, above described and shewn on the annexed
Sheets of Drawings, the essential features of which are,-
First, a new arrangement, by which a great number of stops are lodged in
a very small space.
Second, the novel combination or application of the draw rods for reed
stops.
Third, fitting the organ upon a slide or pivot, for the purpose of leaving
the strings uncovered, and thus facilitating the stringing, repairing, &c.
of the piano.
Fourth, a sliding key-board for the piano.
Fifth, a particular arrangement of the bellows for producing a powerful wind
with a small bellows.
Sixth, a particular arrangement of the organ sound-board for improving the
quality of the tone.
Seventh, an arrangement of the key-board of the organ, for the purpose of
bringing the two key-boards closer together.
Eighth, an arrangement of organ pedals, facilitating the use of the piano
pedals.
Ninth, the arrangement and principle for continuing the harmony. without
keeping the fingers upon the keys, i. e., the notes touched at will cease or
continue to sound when the fingers leave the keys for touching other notes.
Tenth, the general arrangement, combination, and connexion of the pieces
constituting an improved piano organ.
Eleventh, the novel contrivances both for moving the stops and the construc-
tion of the sound-board, with appendages that render its access easy in the
inside, and also allow as easy an access to the piano as if the two instruments
were independent of each other.
Twelfth, the use and application of the percussion system to be placed under
the pianoforte.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edouard Alexandre, have hereunto set
my hand & seal, this 26th day of April, in the year One thousand
eight hundred & fifty-five.
EDOUARD ALEXANDRE. (L.S.)