IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCERTINAS
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edouard Alexandre, Organ Builder, of Paris (Empire
of France), and of Castle Street, Holborn (City), London, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCERTINAS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edouard Alexandre at
of
my
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
7th August 1854.
I, EDOUARD ALEXANDRE, Organ Builder, of Paris (Empire of France), and
of 16, Castle Street, Holborn (City), London, do hereby declare the nature
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CONCERTINAS" to be as follows:-
The object of these improvements is to facilitate the use of concertinas, by
arranging their different parts in such manner as to allow greater power and
case for playing the same, and to obviate the difficulty of fingering, met with
in common concertinas, by placing the buttons or keys in a more convenient
position. The improved concertina consists of three parts, which can be
instantaneously and easily put together or taken to pieces. The first part is
the base, containing the bellows, treadle, &c.; the second part is made up of
the sound board, key board, &c.; the third part consists of a hollow or tubular
pillar or stand, for uniting the first and second part, and conducting the air
from the bellows to the reeds. This pipe is screwed or otherwise fixed in the
upper and lower parts, so as to be easily taken out, the instrument being made
portable. The chambers of the sounding part are much higher under the

page_text: reeds for the low notes than for the high ones, thus to obtain a greater round-
ness of sound than if the sounding part was of the same depth throughout; the
casing is also separated from the sounding board by a double or false bottom of
deal wood. The so-called percussion system may also be added to the sounding
part, if required. The keys of the improved concertiua may be either of the
common shape, and then the improvements consists in placing the keys or
buttons so as to facilitate the fingering; or else a key board, like those of
pianofortes or organs, may be used instead of buttons.
...
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Edouard Alexandre in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
7th February 1855....
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EDOUARD
ALEXANDRE, Organ Builder, of Paris, Empire of France, and of 16, Castle
Street, Holborn (City), London, send greeting
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of August, 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 license that T, the said Edouard Alex-
andre, 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 there-
after 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
CONCERTINAS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Edouard
Alexandre, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, should par-
ticularly 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 imme-
diately 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:

page_text: The object of these improvements is to facilitate the use of concertinas, by
arranging their different parts in such manner as to ameliorate the tone, obtain
greater power and ease for playing the same, and to obviate the difficulty of
fingering, met with in common concertinas, by placing the buttons or keys in
a more convenient position. The improved concertina consists of three parts,
that can instantly and easily be put together or taken to pieces. The first part
is the base, or bottom portion, containing the bellows, treadle, &c. &c.; the
second part is made up of the sound board, the reeds, the key board; and the
third part consists of a hollow or tubular stand or pillar, for uniting the first
and second part, and conducting the air from the bellows to the reeds. This
pipe is screwed or otherwise fixed in the top and bottom part, so as to be
easily taken out, the instrument being thus made portable. The chambers of
the sounding board are much higher under the reeds for the low notes than
for the high ones, thus to obtain a greater roundness and fulness of tone than
if the sounding part were of the same depth throughout. The casing is also
separated from the sounding board by a double or false bottom of deal wood.
The so-called percussion system may also be applied to the sounding part, if
required. The keys of the improved concertina may either be of the common
shape, and then the improvement consists in placing the keys or buttons in
such order as to considerably facilitate the fingering; or else a key board,
like those of pianofortes or organs, may be used, instead of the well-known
buttons.
Having thus briefly set forth the nature of my Invention, I will now
proceed to illustrate, by the help of the annexed Sheet of Drawings, the way in
which the same may be carried into effect. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the
improved concertina; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the same, passing through
the line 1, 2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan, shewing the outside of the
instrument; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section, shewing the connection of the
keys with the valves that allow the air to escape; and Fig. 5 is an under plan
of the reed chamber. The same letters of reference stand for the like parts
in the different Figures. The part a, which forms the bottom or first part
of the instrument, has two bellows d, which may be varied in construction
according to taste and circumstances. These bellows may be covered up with
carpeting, which has an opening for letting the column c pass; the carpet
wraps up the feet of the instrument, and hides the bellows completely. The
column c, as stated above, is to be made hollow, for conveying the air which
is injected by the bellows d into the lower portion a' of the box a, which
contains a small sounding board f, carrying the reeds e. This column or
tubular stand may also be made of gutta percha, india-rubber, &c. It will be

page_text: seen, by inspecting Fig. 2, that the chambers in this sounding space are much
higher in the base part than for the higher notes, to the effect above stated.
If desired, the so-called percussion system may be included in these arrange-
ments for allowing a greater neatness and precision of execution to the player.
Concertinas are at present generally played by means of buttons that project
only very little above the top surface of the instrument; hence, for persons used
to this mode of playing, I have adapted buttons i to the instruments shewn at
Figs. 1 & 2, but at the same time the arrangement of these buttons is made
so as to facilitate the fingering of the instrument. However, persons who are
accustomed to piano keys may have the improved concertina fitted with keys
like those of pianofortes or organs, and in that case two concertinas may be
worked with one foot and one pair of bellows only, this change affecting
merely the box a. Another improvement in this concertina consists in cutting
out the top part, which is made of furniture wood, and lined with thin dea!
wood, which is placed at such distance from the outer wood that it acts as a
sound board for improving the tone of the instrument.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is or may be performed, I wish it to be distinctly understood
that what I claim as novel, and being secured to me by the herein-before in
part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First, the particular and new arrangement of the concertina above described.
Second, applying organ sound boards to concertinas.
Third, applying the pianoforte key board to concertinas.
Fourth, applying the so-called percussion system to concertinas, as
described.
Fifth, making the sounding chambers of greater depth for the base than
for the higher notes, as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edouard Alexandre, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Third day of February, in the year of our
Lord 1855.
ED ALEXANDRE. (L.s.)