IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN STRINGED AND WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS TO CERTAIN OF SUCH INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
RAND, of Howland Street, Fitzroy Square, in the County of Middlesex, Artist,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by IIer
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Seventh day of April, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
John Rand, my exors, adiñors, and assigns, Her especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Rand, my exors, admors,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Rand, my exors, admors, or
assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CERTAIN STRINGED
AND WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, AND THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
TO CERTAIN OF SUCH INSTRUMENTS," partly communicated to me from abroad
and partly invented by myself; in which said Letters Patent is contained a
proviso that I, the said John Rand, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being.
thereunto had, will more fully and.at large appear..

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, 1, the saru
John Rand, do hereby declare that the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
My Invention consists,―
First, of improvements in that class of musical instruments wherein the
pianoforte is combined with wind instruments, producing sounds by the passage
of air through openings having vibrating metal reeds or tongues.
Secondly, the Invention consists of applying what I call a modulating
board to wind musical instruments, which produce sounds by the passage of
air through openings having vibrating metal reeds or tongues, when such
musical instruments are not combined with pianofortes; also for producing
a tremulo movement to such modulating board; and also for a peculiar mode
of arranging a series of reeds to the same note. And,
Thirdly, the Invention consists of applying apparatus for holding down the
keys of wind musical instruments, so that the notes of such keys may continue
to be sounded after the performer has removed the finger therefrom.
And in order that my Invention may be fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS MARKED A.
The first part of the Invention applies to that description of stringed and
wind musical instrument known as the Eolian Piano, and for which a Patent
was granted to the late Obed Mitchell Coleman, of Fitzroy Square, in the
County of Middlesex, on the Tenth day of October, One thousand eight
hundred and forty-four, to which a Specification was duly enrolled; and this
part of the present Invention consists in applying a peculiar apparatus for
obtaining a tremulus movement to the modulating board applied above the
reeds described in the Specification of that Patent. This improvement for
obtaining the tremulo movement consists in applying a wheel to such modu-
lating board in such manner that it having an excess of weight on one side,
and being put in motion by a current of air, it gives a tremulous motion to
the modulating board, and this improvement is to be applied to such combined
stringed and wind musical instrument in a similar manner to that which I will
now proceed to explain more in detail when applying a modulating board to that
class of wind musical instruments which act by reeds, but which are not com-,
bined with pianofortes. The arrangement of parts of a wind musical instrument

page_text: acting with vibrating [metal reeds may be varied, depending on taste, but the
one I will describe is arranged in a case formed to resemble an "occasional
table," but the form of the instrument does not constitute any part of the
claim to Invention. The nature of each of the views shown by this Drawing
being written thereon, it will not be necessary to repeat the same here, and
the same parts are marked with the same letters of reference.
a is the
feeder or bellows, constantly pressed open by springs b. The air passing
from the feeder or bellows passes into the expanding wind chest c, which has
springs & tending at all times to close it. The feeder or bellows is put in
motion by means of the treadle e, the part e¹ of which is made so as to turn
under the lower rail of the table, as shown, so as to be out of the way when
not in use. f are connecting rods attached to the levers g, which, by means of
short connecting rods h, give motion to the flap of the feeder or bellows; these
parts, and the parts hereafter mentioned, being similar to those before used,
and such being the case with the other parts hereafter mentioned, it will not
be necessary to enter into a particular explanation of the construction and
action thereof. i is the passage from the wind chest to the reed board j,
through which there are a series of holes for receiving reeds k, the upper
space above the reeds and below the modulating board 7 being common to
all the reeds, so that there is a space between the upper surfaces of the reeds
and the under surface of the modulating board. The modulating board
7 consists of a light board of wood placed over the reeds, so as to completely
cover the space in the reed board above the reeds, the under surface of the
modulating board being covered with leather where it touches, and is supported
by the fillets of the reed board j, and it is the application of a modulating
board (as shown and described) to seraphines and such like wind musical instru-
ments acting by vibrating metal reeds, which constitutes part of the improve-
ments under the second head of the present Letters Patent. At the same time
I would remark that no claim is intended to be made to the application of a
modulating board when the same is applied to and combined with the action
of a pianoforte having seraphine apparatus in combination therewith, the
object being to improve the seraphine and such like musical instruments
by the application of modulating boards, such as have been found to be of
such great advantage to pianofortes having seraphine apparatus played in
combination therewith, as described in the Specification of the said Obed
Mitchell Coleman's Letters Patent. The modulating board is pressed down
slightly by springs m, so that it is the pressure of air in the space or passage
below which causes the modulating board to rise to allow of the passage of
the sounds produced by the reeds below. n shews one of the keys, which,

page_text: by the projections 'ätting on the buttons o; move down the stickers o³, and
act on the pallets p; as shewn; and if it be desired to give a swell of increase
of sound when fingering the key of any note, then by pressing down the key
on to bart (which acts as a lever) it will 'press down the connecting rods
t, and consequently the levers t, the other ends of which will raise the
inodulating board : And iii order to obtain a tremulo action to the modu-
lating board, according to part of the present Invention; I apply a wheel q,
the axes of which are carried by a frame q' affixed to the modulating board,
such wheel consisting of a series of vanes of thin metal; turned up at the
ends át right angles. This wheel works in a chamber communicating with
the expanding wind chest, and in order to obtain a trembling motion I apply
a weight q² on one side of the axis, the stem of which passes through the
axis, and has a light spring coiled round it, so that the weight, by centrifugal
force, inay move out further than the centre of motion. r is a slide which
covers the hole between the wind chest and the chamber in which the wheel
revolves: This slide has a small toothed rack affixed thereto; which takes
into the teeth on the arms, giving motion thereto. This arm in moving
starts the wheel, and then the current of air rushing against the wheel puts
it in quick motion; and thus gives a quick tremulous action to the modulating
Board, and it is the application of this apparatus to the modulating board of
pianofortes combined with reed musical instruments which constitutes the
first part of my Invention, as well also as constituting part of the improve-
ments claimed under the second part of this Invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING MARKED B.
This Drawing shews the section of the seraphine constructed suitably for
receiving other of the improvement's claimed under the second head of the
present Invention, which consists in arranging a series of reeds in suitable
reed boards, 'one above the other, in such manner that the lower part of the
air passage of an upper reed board forms a sounding board for the reeds
in the reed board below. In this arrangement the first or lower reed board
at A simply shews the application of a modulating board to a seraphine,
the tremulo movement being obtained by a projecting wire under the key
acting on a covered surface near the back edge of the modulating board.
This is a variation in the means of applying a modulating board in wind
instruments when uncombined with a pianoforte'; and I would 'state that I
do not confine myself to the precise means shewn of applying a modulating
board above the reeds acting by the pressure of air 'contained in the space
above the reeds, as abové described, as the same may be varied. B, C, are

page_text: two reed boards, and there may be several such, one above the other, each
of such reed boards having a reed for each key of the instrument, there
being, however, valves or stops to shut off the passage of air from the
expanding wind chest y, both the wind chests being supplied with air from
a common feeder or bellows a, as shewn, and each of the reed boards has a
modulating board applied. Motion is given to open the pallets of the reeds at
B, C, by means of the lever to of each finger key acting on the rod w', which,
being depressed, acts on the buttons w³, and presses down the pallets, and
the pallets to the reeds at A are opened by projecting wires under the finger
keys acting on buttons as shewn.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING MARKED C.
Figures 1 and 2 shew the ends of two white keys of wind musical instru-
ments, having apparatus applied thereto according to the third part of the
Invention. a is a spring lever catch, which is constantly pressed on by a
spring in such manner that if not pressed on by the finger its. lower end
would be away from the notch in the end of the key, but when pressed on at
the upper end by the finger as it slides off the key (and whilst the key is
down) the lower end of the lever catch will enter the notch in the key, and
hold down the key till released by pressing down the key, when the spring
will move out the catch. By this means any notes may be kept sounding
while others are being played. In order to effect the same object with the
black keys, I apply a small slide 8, Fig. 8, which is constantly pressed on by
a spring in such manner that when not acted on by the finger, or when
not acting on the key, the spring will force it back. The slide acts on the
lever c so that when the key is down and the finger of the performer is
sliding against the slide 6, the lever will hold the key down till the key is
pressed further down so as to release the lever.
Having thus described the nature of the Invention, and the best means
I am acquainted with for performing the same, I would have it understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details, so long as the peculiar
character of either part of the Invention be retained; but what I claim
is,-
First, the application of a wheel for giving a tremulo action to a modulating
board of pianofortes combined with reed musical instruments called Eolian
pianofortes.
Secondly, I claim the application of modulating boards to reed wind musical
instruments when uncombined with pianofortes; also the combining therewith
the use of wheels for obtaining a tremulo action to such modulating board;

page_text: and I also claim the mode of combining a series of reed boards, one above
the other, as above described. And,
Thirdly, I claim the application of apparatus to the keys of wind musical
instruments to retain the keys, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Rand, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventh day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thonsand eight hundred and forty-five