A NEW OR IMPROVED SOUNDING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO ALL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS HAVING KEY-BOARDS
Year: 1860

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexandre Debain at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th October
1860.
I, ALEXANDRE DEBAIN, of Place Lafayette, 24 & 26, Paris, in the Empire
of France, Manufacturer of Pianos and Harmoniums, a Knight of the Legion
of Honour, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "A
NEW OR IMPROVED SOUNDING APPARATUS APPLICABLE TO ALL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
HAVING KEY-BOARDS," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to produce an apparatus (which I denominate
Debain's pedal) for ensuring either the continuation of any accord or concord
whatsoever through any length of time desired, or else the rhythmical repeti-
tion of any accord or concord whatsoever, and I attain this object by means
of a pedal, knee lever, or knee pedal, (that is to say, a pedal acted on by the
knee of the performer,) said performer having to use his hand only for
forming or changing said accords or concords. By this arrangement the per-
former is, as it were, put in posession of a third hand, and he is thus enabled
to produce musical performances for which two hands would not be sufficient.
The apparatus which I have invented is placed at the rear part of that
portion of the keys or the key-board which is visible. It can be depressed or
lowered at pleasure under the action of a pedal, knee piece, or knee pedal, and
as soon as the performer leaves off acting on said knee pedal the apparatus is
made to rise again from the keys, and cease its action. This apparatus is

page_text: provided with a set of one or more organs (i. e., implements) capable of
assuming two distinct positions, one of which is passive, and causes it to spring
from or leave the corresponding key of the key-board; whilst the other
position is active, i. e., causes said implements to approach the keys in such
manner that when the depressing motion, above alluded to, is operated, the
whole set of implements thus described shall touch and depress the keys on
the instrument and produce the sound or concord required; the other keys or
notes remaining inactive. If after having produced this sound or concord the
foot or knee is made to continue pressing on the pedal, knee pedal, or knee
piece, the vibration of the sound will continue in manner different according
to the nature of the keyed instrument to which said apparatus is applied.
Thus, on the pianoforte, the sound will gradually die away, whereas on the
organ it will continue in primordial sonority; and on the so-called harmonium
it will assume any degree of intensity at the pleasure of the performer. If, on
the other hand, the performer causes his foot or knee, or his feet or knees, to
act in a periodical or intermittent manner on the pedal, knee pedal, or knee
piece, he may produce any desired rhythmical repetition of the same or any
other variable concord or accord.
Having thus explained the general features of this Invention, I will briefly
describe the means by which the same is or may be carried into effect, said
means being very numerous, and easily modified in a great variety of ways.
The apparatus I have contrived consists of a metallic plate, which extends
over a part only of the key-board or some octaves. At the rear of the visible
part of the keys, the apparatus is hinged by means of two pivots. The appa-
ratus is made to act by means of a "pilot" fixed at the end of a lever, which is
connected by any of the known means with a pedal, or a knee lever or knee
piece; the apparatus being also subject to the action of a spring, which tends
to lift it clear of the keys. On the front part of said metal plate I cut notches.
each of which corresponds with a key of the instrument, and each notch
carries a small lever, which is maintained in the horizontal passive position
by means of a spring, which is placed in rear of the joint or plate pivots above
mentioned. Above the fore part of each of the small levers last mentioned
there is a kind of moveable disc turning about a centre, which in its contact
with the levers has a plane surface, and carries a small concave button or
knob. Thus by turning one or more of the discs aforesaid by means of the
buttons last mentioned, the fore parts of the lever or levers above alluded to
are depressed and brought into contact with the corresponding key or keys,
thus causing them to assume the active position herein-before alluded to. In
this position nothing more is required than working the pedal, knee pedal, or

page_text: knee piece in any obvious way for producing permanent or rhythmical
vibration of one or more keys over and upon which one or more of the levers
aforesaid shall have been depressed previously. When two or three notes
only are to be produced at the time, the apparatus may be suitably modified
by using a cylindrical or other bar or rod, on which two or three "pilots" or
pins are made to slide, there being a notch or depression in said rod over each
of the keys, into which notch the "pilot" or pin is made to drop and remain
stationary by means of a spring and tooth with which it is provided. There
may be two lines or rows of notches or depressions in said bars set angularly,
in such manner that one row shall serve to hold the pins in an active position,
and the other in the inactive position; said "pilots" or pins may also be per-
manently coupled or connected together, so as to produce one determinate
accord in any tune whatever, such as thirds, fifths, and octaves.