CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, of Paris, in the Empire
of France, and 4, South Street, Finsbury, London, for the Invention of
CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th June 1855.
I, JEAN BAPTISTE DE LORENZI, of Paris, in the Empire of France, and 4,
South Street, Finsbury, London, do hereby declare the nature of my said
Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS" to be as
follows, that is to say:-
My Invention consists in the following improvements :-
The wind box is composed of two parts, provided with double valves, so
disposed that the first part gives the wind to the pipes during the first part of
the descent of the stops in motion, and the second part gives the wind to the
pipes of which the play corresponds to the second part of this course.
The pipes of the second part of the first part of the wind box, devided like
the relative pipes, are hermetically closed. At the upper or lateral part are
light blinds, the extremities of which are provided with leathers or other flexible
substance and which gradually open-in following the descending movement of
the stops. Some of these blinds are disposed upon the pipes corresponding to

page_text: the first point of the stop, and enclosed like those of the second part, above
mentioned.
The shaker is formed of a pair of bellows, called expansive, composed of two
nearly equal parts, and furnished with valves so disposed that at a given
moment the lower part can cast itself completely into the other, in adding there
all its gravity.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 29th December 1855.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JEAN
BAPTISTE DE
LORENZI, of Paris, in the Empire. of France, and 4, South
Street, Finsbury, London, send greeting:
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the nineteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, "Her special license that I, the said Jean
Baptiste de Lorenzi, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, 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 night make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven-
tion for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, 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 Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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:-.
This Invention consists, first, in a peculiar arrangement of stops and sounding-
boards in organs.

page_text: Secondly, in improved mechanism for increasing and diminishing the tone of
the notes.
Thirdly, in obtaining a vibratory or trembling sound by means of expansive
bellows, herein-after described.
The power of the fonochromic organ in producing highly expressive tones
depends principally on the repetition of the sounds which succeed each other
as the keys are touched. The keys act upon two stops: the first acts upon a
pipe, and the second upon another pipe, in unison. When it is desired to
have the tones of the different instruments, such as the trombone, the bugle,
the violin, or the flute, very expressive, the slides should be doubled.
The sounding-board is divided into two parts with double valves, in such a
manner that those of the first part admit the wind to the pipes, which are acted
upon by the first stop, and those of the other part admit the wind to the
pipes which are acted upon by the other stop. After the first "valves have!
been open sufficiently long to fill the pipes with wind which have been acted
upon by the first stops, the second valves are opened by means of a lever
placed behind the first valves, and which may be fitted underneath if found
more convenient, and thus the wind is admitted to the pipes which are
acted upon by the other stops. It is in this manner, by pressing the key
lightly to the first stop and playing one note only, that a soft sweet sound is
produced; and by depressing the key entirely, so as to bring into action the
second stop,
and produce an additional note, that much greater expression and
power is obtained. In place of only one sounding-board divided into two
parts, it is evident that two separate ones may be employed.
i
In order that the expressión and power should be more evident, the notes of
the first part, and particularly those of the flute, bugle, and trombone, are made
of the greatest delicacy and sweetness of sound'; and those of the other part;"
which are produced by the second series of stops, are of the greatest power, and
occasionally may even be doubled. That the transition from piano to forté mayi
not be perceptible when the second note commences, it is necessary to separate'
the first from the second part of the sounding-board, as also of the pipes, "by"
enclosing them almost hermetically in a case, and fitting to its side or its
s upper
end a kind of moveable venetian blind or jalousie, which opens and shuts easily
and without noise. This is easily effected by lining the ends with a piece of
soft and elastic leather, or other similar material. These jalousies in their
state of repose should be shut, and are opened by a light movement of the key,"
which takes place after it has been depressed to the second stop. Now, it is
easy to comprehend that by this means the second 1-note-commences-almost -
insensibly, and becomes more and more powerful as the opening of the

page_text: jalousies becomes greater, and by this means the full power of the note is
obtained without any violent transition from piano to forté.
This mechanism is attached to a pedal, so that it may be disengaged from
the keys when required. Another manner of giving expression and increased
force is by means of vibration or trembling, and increasing and decreasing the
sound.
The principle of vibration or trembling is already sufficiently well known,
but when applied to the fonochromic organ with two valves, the faculty of
gradually augmenting the sound to double its usual force, and diminishing it
again in the same manner, produces effects of the most novel and delightful
character. In order to obtain this result, I have made a bellows, which I
call expansive. This bellows forms a reservoir, and at the same time has the
power (by opening a valve) of increasing the force of the air almost twofold.
It is divided longitudinally in two parts: the part which produces the same
effect as the ordinary bellows occupying three-fifths of the whole, and the other
part two-fifths, and in such a manner as to. make two bellows united. This
smaller part, (which may be of any proportion to the other, according to the
increased pressure which may be required, communicates with the larger by
means of a small valve placed above the hole, by which this second part receives
the supply of air. There is also a valve which should remain open, and beside
it another valve applied to a hole for the purpose of discharging the air from
this part of the bellows. A very simple mechanism is employed for opening
this latter discharging valve (no matter of what size the opening may be) and
of shutting the other, so as to stop the communication with the other part of
the bellows. By means of this mechanism, when the smaller bellows has dis-
charged itself into the greater, the power of the latter is nearly doubled. It is
worked by the same pedal which applies the trembling sound, and the same
pedal also acts upon the jalousies above mentioned, which are attached to the
case in which are enclosed the second series of pipes. These three different
movements are so arranged, that in depressing lightly the pedal it acts only
upon the mechanism of the trembling sound attached to the pipes acted upon
by the first series of stops, and makes that note only vibrate; by depressing the
key to the second stop the power of the note is greatly increased, and by then
depressing the pedal farther the note is gradually increased in power, and when
the pedal acts upon the mechanism of the expansive bellows it farther increases
the power of the note, and gives it a great volume of sound; by acting in the
reverse manner the sound is gradually diminished until it becomes of its primi-
tive force; and in order then to reduce it to pianissimo, another pedal or lever,
which is placed under the key-board, and worked with the right knee, shuts

page_text: some of the jalousies attached to the case, in which is enclosed the first series
of pipes, which are acted upon by the first series of stops, and by this means
the note is diminished in force, as in the Eglin organs. These jalousies just
mentioned are disposed exactly as those already described for the second series
of pipes, with the difference that in their state of repose they are open.
This latter mode of giving expression is alone sufficient for such pieces of
music as do not require much energy, and for such instruments as the English
horn, for which the double set of pipes are not necessary. The different instru-
ments may, nevertheless, be doubled at will, according to the capabilities of the
organ, and those which accompany may be distributed between the first and
second series of pipes, allotting the principal and octave to the first series,
and the XV., XIX., and XXII. to the second series of pipes.
The counter bass becomes expressive without the use of the double pipes by
playing the octave with the first stop of 'the pedal and the counter bass with
the second. Some bass instruments may be made more expressive by adding
a column of air from the valves of the second stop of the keys to that of the
first, because in the low notes an additional quantity of air does not make the
note false.
Having thus described the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be carried into effect, I would have it understood that what I
claim is,
organs.
First, the peculiar arrangement of stops in
Second, the improved mechanism for increasing and diminishing the tone of
the notes.
Third, the improved means for obtaining a vibratory sound, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jean Baptiste de Lorenzi, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five.
J. BAY DE LORENZI. (L.D.)