AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE LETTER ORGANIZATION. OF THE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC SCALE
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Talbot Pitman, of the American and European
Patent Offices, 67, Gracechurch Street, London, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE LETTER ORGANIZATION. OF THE INSTRUMENTAL
MUSIC SCALE."-A communication.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Talbot Pitman. at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th January 1857.
I, JOHN TALBOT PITMAN, of the American and European Patent Offices,
67, Gracechurch Street, London, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT OF THE LETTER ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTRU-
MENTAL MUSIC SCALE," a communication from a foreigner residing abroad, to
be as follows:→
It consists in originating and giving distinct form to two new repre-
sentatives of each of the seven musical letters belonging to the instrumental
music scale, each of these seven letters having three keys, and heretofore but
one of each represented or expressed, the other two being decided by signa
placed at the beginning of the tune or strain. This is effected by inclining
each of the seven letters or their representatives to the right to express a flat
or sharp, to the left to express the reverse, while they are in an upright
position when natural, thereby bringing the different keys in their definite
capacity to sight upon the face of the music to be read at a glance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the.conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Talbot.Pitman in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN-
TALBOT PITMAN, of the American and European Patent Offices, 67, Grace-
church Street, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of January, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Talbot Pitman, Her special licence that I, the said John Talbot
Pitman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Talbot Pitman, 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 "AN IMPROVE-
MENT OF THE LETTER ORGANIZATION OF THE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC SCALE," a
communication from a citizen of the United States, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Talbot Pitman, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Talbot Pitman, do hereby declare
the nature of my 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:-
:
1
The nature of my Invention consists in originating and giving form to two
new representations of each of the seven musical letters belonging to the
instrumental music scale, each of the seven letters having three keys, and
heretofore but one of each represented or expressed, the other two being
decided by signatures placed at the beginning of the tune or strain, and
necessarily carried in the mind or memory through the same by the pupil, to
be able to produce the desired tone or key, each of the three keys being positive,
distinct, and unvarying. A, natural, being the same identical key or sound.
the musically educated world over; A, sharp, another definite sound the world
.

page_text: over; and.A, flat, another.definite key or sound the world over, and the same
of the remaining six letters, unlike the organization of the do, ra, mi, fa, sol,
la, si, do, or any names or device expressive of the same organization as used
by the vocalist, as neither of those have any, definite key or sound, but may
either and all .be used to any key or sound, so as to accommodate the
speaking of the sound, of course wholly unavailable in every respect to the
use of the instrument. Also in the arrangement of the three representations
with other musical characters upon the staff or scale, so that no encroachment
or infringement is made upon any one, but all and each retain their full value
and position notwithstanding this arrangement, thus bringing to the eye at a
glance these representatives as submitted.
To enable others skilled in the art to use my improvement, I will proceed
to describe it, as the letters representing the keys natural used in the musical
grammar or gamut are of an upright form, as at specimen No. 1, Figures 2
and 3.
For representatives of each of these seven letters, A, B, C, D, E, F, G,
sharp key, I use each of these seven letters in form inclining to the right
hand, or varying so much from the natural or upright letters so much that
the difference may be readily observed at a glance, as at Specimen No. 1,
Figures 4 and 5.
For representatives of these letters, flat key, I use the same named letters,
but in form inclining to the left-hand or varying perceptibly from those which
represent the keys natural and the keys sharp, as at specimen No. 1,
Figures 6 and 7, so as to be known at sight. These representatives I use in
the musical gamut alone, as dictatives upon the staff, as at specimen No. 1,
and also in particular arrangement with any and all musical character, not for
or in place of any other character, or to show the value of any other character,
but in their own definite capacity of letter keys for the use of the instrument,
using them in such combination or arrangement that no interference with nor
encroachment upon any other character is thereby effected, or the laws of the
established music system disarranged, as at specimen No. 2, 3, 4, the light
and dark face of each note being undisturbed or accommodated, as at speci-
men No. 5, giving to each letter key, as used by the instrument, a tangible
form upon the face of the staff to be read at a glance without computation.
Having now described the Invention and its advantages, what I claim
under the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, in originating and
bringing into tangible form two new representatives of the two unrepresented
keys of each of the seven musical letters belonging to the scale of music, and
the particular arrangement of the different letter keys with other musical

page_text: characters belonging to and upon the staff. or scale, so that all retain their full
value, capacity, and position.in perfect conformity to the organic law thereof,.
.bringing these different keys in their definite capacity to sight upon the face
of the music to be read at a glance by teacher and performer, as herein
described and set forth, and in any way substantially the same.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Talbot Pitman, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of July, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN TALBOT PITMAN. (L.S.)