IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR USE WHEN PLAYING PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND OTHER LIKE INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Herbert John Haddan, of the Firm of Herbert and
Company, Solicitors of Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster,
Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
USE WHEN PLAYING PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND OTHER LIKE INSTRUMENTS."
A communication from abroad by Andreas Wider, of Stuttgart, in the
Kingdom of Würtemberg.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Herbert John Haddan at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 14th December 1878.
"
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer.. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR USE WHEN PLAYING PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND OTHER
LIKE INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Andreas Wider, of Stuttgart,
in the Kingdom of Würtemberg.
The Invention relates to appliances for enabling those who have little or no
knowledge of music to play on the organ, pianoforte, or other similar instrument,
and the improvements consist of one or more rollers mounted over and alongside
the keyboard for carrying and moving sheets of specially prepared music having
dots or signs spaced and corresponding to the notes to be struck on the piano, and
in causing such rollers to rotate at desired speeds. The construction is as follows:-
In a metal or other frame, made with its sides capable of adjustment to the sides
of an ordinary pianoforte keyboard, is held and actuated one or more drums. The
music sheets are prepared by writing or otherwise marking off in lateral lines, dots,
or signs, spaced and arranged so that they show just over their corresponding noto
key on the key board, through or under a strip or mask fitted to the roller, where-
upon a person directly he sees a sign appear over one or more notes he then and
there strikes those notes, and so plays the music. The rollers are made to revolve
to any desired time by a weight or other similar contrivance.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Herbert John Haddan in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 4th
June 1879.
"
HERBERT JOHN HADDAN, of the Firm of Herbert and Company, Solicitors of
Patents, of 67, Strand, in the City of Westminster, Civil Engineer. IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR USE WHEN PLAYING PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND OTHER
LIKE INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Andreas Wider, of Stutt-
gart, in the Kingdom of Würtemberg.
The Invention relates to appliances for enabling those who have little or no
knowledge of music to play on the organ, piano, or other similar instrument, and
the improvements consist of one or more rollers mounted over and alongside the
keyboard for carrying and moving sheets of specially prepared music, having dots
or signs spaced and corresponding to the notes to be struck on the piano, and in
causing such rollers to rotate at desired speeds. The construction is as follows:-
In a metal or other frame, made with its sides capable of adjustment to the sides of
the keyboard of a piano or similar instrument, is held and actuated one or more
drums. The music sheets are prepared by writing or otherwise marking off in
lateral lines, dots, or signs, spaced and arranged so that they show just over the
corresponding note key on the keyboard, through or under a strip or mask fitted
to the roller; whereupon the person directly he sees a sign appear over one or more
notes he then and there strikes those notes, and thus plays the music. The rollers
are made to revolve automatically by a weight or an equivalent contrivance, as
will be more clearly understood from the accompanying Drawings, which show an
example of the apparatus, Sheet I. representing a front elevation with partial
section, and a longitudinal section of the note roller; Sheet II., a plan; Sheet III.,
a cross section through A, B. of Sheet II., a cross section through B, C, of Sheet II.,
and a partial plan of the note-roller; and Sheet IV. a music sheet. 1 is the iron
frame; 2, the journals of the note roller 3, which is preferably constructed of paste-
board in order to reduce its weight. The music sheet is fastened to the roller by
means of the double armed hooks or clips 4, which can be moved up and down on
the guides 5 by means of small hand levers 6, connecting rods 7, and bell crank
levers 8, the guides or brackets 5 being firmly rivetted to the roller. For fixing
the sheet the note roller is turned so as to bring the clips to the front, the first
series of clips is raised over the surface of the note roller by turning one of the two
handles 6; one end of the sheet is placed under the clips and the latter depressed,
after which the note roller is turned round, and the other end of the music sheet
inserted under the second series of clips, which are in communication with the
second handle 6. The rods 7 are further connected with springs 9, which tend
to raise the clips. The right hand journal 2 carries a brass roller 10 provided at
its left hand shoulder with teeth, and having attached to it both ends of the
string 11, which carries the weight 12, of about 250 grammes, for turning the
roller. The string goes from the right half of the roller, upon which it has been
wound, over the roller 13 to the weight 12. From the bottom of the latter the
string passes over the pulley 14 and 15 back to the pulley 10. On the weight
being lowered the string is wound from the right half of roller 10 and wound upon
the left half. For drawing up the weight a guide pulley 16 is provided under the
cover, and a string 17, about a yard long, having one end attached to the top of
the weight, while the other end carries a tassel serving as a handle. The journal 2
carries at the side of the roller 10 a toothed wheel 18 provided with a ratchet 19,
which is caught by the teeth of the roller 10, and thus moves the wheel 18. If the
roller 10 moves backward by the winding up of the string it slides under the click 19.
The (84) teeth of the wheel 18 are cut obliquely and work into the anchor 20,
movable on the adjustable stud 21. The wheel 18 is cast in one piece, with a narrow
ring a provided with small perforations corresponding exactly with the (84) teeth of

page_text: the wheel, and receiving the movable pin 22, which is guided in the wooden disc
of the roller 3. This connecting pin is always pressed by the spring 23 into one of
the perforations, so that the note roller is compelled to share the revolving motion
of the wheel 18. In order to turn the note roller independly, for instance, when
a piece has been played to end, the connecting pin 22 can be withdrawn from the
perforations by means of the needle 24 guided in the journal 2 and acted upon by
a bell crank lever 25, which is controlled by a cord 26 passing over the guide
pulleys 27, 28, and 29, and connected with the register 30. The tooth wheel 18
and note roller 3 is sufficient for the majority of songs and chorals, since they con-
tain rarely more than 84 accords. For larger pieces of music an auxiliary roller 31
is provided, turning on the journals 32. One end of the music sheet is fastened
upon this auxiliary roller, which is then turned so as to wind up the sheet; and
finally the other end of the sheet is fixed upon the front or main roller. In playing,
the whole length of the sheet is unwound from the auxiliary roller and wound
upon the main roller. The rotary motion of the note-roller 3, and therefore the
appearance of the notes for the following accord, is effected by depressing keys 33
in playing, under every key being placed a pin 34 and a movable pricker 35, the
former of which opens the sound-lid 36, while the latter presses upon the rake-like
bar 37, movable on the journals 38. To the first of the narrow cross-bars b, which
receive the pressure, an arm 39 is screwed, which touches a similar arm soldered to
the anchor 20. If now any of the keys be depressed the arm 39 goes down, the
lower point of the anchor is disengaged from the toothed wheel, and the click c
catches the wheel at the top. The small space between the click c and the set
screw d allows the roller to make a short forward motion; but the complete re-
engagement of the lower anchor point ensues only when the pricker has completely
passed over the small bar, and consequently the pressure of the key exercises no
further influence, so that the arm 39 is raised again by the counterweight connected
with it. The rotation of the note roller is therefore effected with the required speed
by the depression of any key. If a certain note is to be sounded through several
accords, while other notes of shorter duration are to succeed each other, the said
note is marked in such a manner that it remains visible as long as it is to be
sounded. The apparatus can also be applied for playing with four hands, in which
case the keys to be touched by the second player must be disconnected from the
anchor, so that the note roller can only be turned by the first player; for this
purpose those of the bars 6 which are to be disconnected are withdrawn by means of
the levers 41 after the cover 42 has been removed, which bars 6 must be withdrawn,
and which keys have to be played by the second player, is indicated on the music-
sheet, the latter by the shape and position of the notes, or otherwise. To facilitate
the correct striking of the notes a divided indicating bar 43 is fixed to the frame 1
at the height of the keys; and a cover 44 is laid over the roller, leaving a clearance
of about 5m/ between the indicating bar and the cover, so as to show the notes to
be played through the said clearance; and in order to make the notes more
apparent on the white paper, the indicating bar, the cover, the ornamental ledge 45,
and other parts of the apparatus may be polished black, and the keys may be marked
off on the indicating bar 43 with fine gold lines. The cover 44 of sheet metal can be
made to turn on the journals of the note roller by means of the supporting forks e,
which are rivetted to it. In order to remove the cover quickly it is connected
with the register 30 in the following way-The register is pulled back by a spiral
spring or by a band of india rubber as soon as the catch 46 which prevents the
motion is released. Upon the latter is screwed the bell crank lever 47 connected
with the register 30 by a string 48. If now the lever 47 is drawn it acts upon the
catch, so as to raise the front end of the latter, and to allow the cover to slide under
it. For shutting, the player seizes the knob f, which is rivetted to the cover, and
draws the latter down till the catch interlocks again by the action of the spring 49.
The roller can be turned from outside by means of the round staff 50 without
removing the cover. In order to play without the music roller the connection
between the keys and the anchor is interrupted by means of one of the levers 41, for by

page_text: pressing the lever forward the foot 51, which stands oblique, is drawn perpendicularly,
whereby all the little staves b are held down, and thus the connection with the
anchor discontinued. The described mechanism for turning the note roller con-
sisting chiefly of anchor 20, roller 10, weight 12, guide pulleys and strings, is
adapted to large rollers, such as are necessary for pianos. For small organs or
pianinos the sliding apparatus shown on Sheet 3, cross section B, C, and Figure 1 is
sufficient. Instead of the roller 10 there is the lever 52, which moves up and down
on the journal 2, and carries on the left end the movable catch 53, which engages
with the toothed wheel 18. The connection between lever 52 and arm 39 is
established by a rod 54. Instead of the anchor 20 there is the movable catch 55,
below which the weight 56 of about 50 grammes is suspended. If now the arm 39,
and with it the lever 52, is pressed down by touching the keys, the catch 53 falls
against the tooth just below it, and the catch 35 is released from the toothed wheel
by means of the pin g rivetted to lever 52. In the moment when the arm 39 can
rise again the weight 56 draws the lever down, so as to turn the roller one tooth.
To avoid noise the surfaces of contact are lined with leather, felt, or other soft
material. CLAIMS.-1. The frame 1, which, together with the mechanism supported
by it, can easily be placed into any instrument constructed like a piano or organ.
2. The roller 3, together with the lever mechanism 4 to 9 for fastening the music
sheet, as well as the parts 22 to 30 for establishing or interrupting the connection
with the wheel; further, the position of the note roller immediately behind the
keys, which permits to see the notes and the keys simultaneously. 3. The roller or
pulley 10 in connection with the guide pulleys 13-17. 4. The toothed wheel 18
with the click 19. 5. The anchor 20. 6. The auxiliary note-roller 31. 7. The
angular key 33 with the pusher 35 and the screw 40 placed below the key. 8. The
rake-like bar 37 with the arm 39 and the disengaging levers 41 and 51. 9. The
indicating bar 43, the cover 44, and the locking arrangement 46-49. 10. The levers
52-56. 11. The music sheet (Sheet 4) adapted to the keys. All substantially as
described and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Herbert John Haddan, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of May, A.D. 1879.