IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMB, ORGANS, AND SIMILAR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1867

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Findlay at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th March
.1867.
I, ALEXANDER FINDLAY, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Musical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN HARMONIUMB, ORGANS, AND SIMILAR
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows:-
I!!!
This Invention has for its object to enable harmoniums, organs, and similar
musical instruments to be tuned more accurately or to be played more
accurately in tune than has hitherto been possible, and the feature of novelty
is the employing of double sets of vibrators or reeds, one set being tuned as
accurately as possible for sharp keys and the other for flat keys, whilst by
suitable valves the air can be directed to whichever set the tune requires, or
they may be actuated by separate sets of keys.
3''
In ordinary harmoniums and the like one key represents both a sharp to
the note below it in the scale and a flat to the note above it, and gives the
same sound whether played as a sharp or as a flat. The true sharp and flat notes
are, however, not really identical, and whilst instruments are tuned as hitherto
to give sounds equally near the true sharp and flat notes there is necessarily
a certain inaccuracy in the notes, which has the effect of injuring the general
tone, and which is most easily perceived when chords are being played. In
carrying out the present Invention in the case, for example, of the simplest
kind of harmonium, two sets of vibrators are arranged with their pallets. so

page_text: that on a key being struck it lifts two pallets, one of each set, and the air from
the bellows is conveyed to the vibrators by separate passages or spaces which
are controlled by valves; these valves may be operated in various ways, but
a convenient arrangement consists in connecting them to a lever disposed for
being acted upon by the knee; when playing in natural and sharp keys this
knee lever will be turned to the right, for example, and to the left for playing
flats, or vice versa.
"
If barmoniums, organs, and similar musical instruments are made with
"clarionet," "bourdon," or other sets of vibrators or reeds to be actuated along
with or separately from the main set, then in applying the present Invention
each such set must also be made in duplicate and be actuated by separate
air currents controlled by valves like those for the main sets. In organs or
large instruments the valves for changing from sharp to flat may require too
much force to be actuated directly, particularly when changes are required
during the progress of a piece of music, and in such cases a lever or handle to
be actuated, easily by the knee or hand may be arranged to put air from the
bellows or water into action on pistons or their equivalent to shift the valves.
.It is preferred to arrange the valves to intercept the air before it passes
through the vibrators or reeds, but the air may also be controlled by valves on
the other side of the vibrators or reeds.
The plan herein-before indicated of using separate sets of keys for the
different sets of vibrators involves more expence but no difficulties or
peculiarities of construction.