IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSPOSING KEYBOARDS FOR PIANOFORTES AND CERTAIN OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
TRANSPOSING KEYBOARDS FOR PIANOFORTES AND CERTAIN OTHER MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS." A communication from abroad by Henry Heubach, of
Brooklyn, King's County, State of New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 30th May 1879, and dated the 5th April 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th April 1879.
"
ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middle-
sex, Patent Agent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN TRANSPOSING KEYBOARDS FOR PIANO-
FORTES AND CERTAIN OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.' A communication from
abroad by Henry Heubach, of Brooklyn, King's County, State of New York,
United States of America.
"
Music is written in "keys" which correspond to those of the pianoforte. (I will
use the term "pianoforte to include all keyboard instruments, be they organs,
melodeons, or other.) Thus a piece of music written in C major indicates to the
player precisely which of the black and white keys of the keyboard are to be
touched in succession. If it is desired to transpose the music directly into another
key by the player without writing it entirely anew, the instruments are not adapted
thereto. Yet such transposition is frequently desirable and necessary, as for
instance in accompanying a singer whose voice is not adapted to the particular pitch
in which the music is written, in the accompaniment of other musical instruments
not tuned precisely as the pianoforte, in attempting to gradually accustom a voice
to a lower or higher pitch, and in endeavouring to play a piece on a simple key
which is written in a complex key.
The value of an arrangement by which the player can play on the keyboard in a
given key, and yet strike the strings in a different key, will appear from the fact
that the ordinary octave is capable of 264 transpositions, being 132 in the major and
132 in the minor key, and by the further fact that it is a matter of extreme and
extraordinary difficulty for a player to transpose music on an ordinary keyboard.
It is in fact as difficult as to transpose the letters of the alphabet while reading so
as to read f for e, g for f, &c.
This Invention renders transposition easy by providing means for varying the
relative position of supplemental keys to the ordinary keys, hammers, and strings
ID 611

page_text: in a pianoforte (valves and pipes in an organ), and allowing of their convenient
adjustment.
I am aware that transposing keyboards have already been proposed, but they
were not adapted to be raised from and replaced on the ordinary key board of a
piano. The Invention consists in the peculiar mechanism for entirely breaking
contact between the keys of the movable keyboard and those of the permanent
keyboard preparatory to adjusting the movable keyboard; also in the new com-
bination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described.
In the accompanying Drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical cross section of a key board
provided with the improvement of this Invention; Figure 2 is a top view and
Figure 3 a back view of a portion thereof; Figures 4, 5, and 6 are detail vertical
cross sections of modifications of apparatus to which the Invention is applicable.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
The letter A represents one of the white keys and the letter B one of the black
keys of a pianoforte or other keyboard instrument. In front of the ordinary key
The frame D
board I secure a suitable frame C, which carries a sliding frame D.
can be moved laterally along the face of the instrument by means of a suitable
screw E or other mechanism. The sliding frame D carries a keyboard of white
keys F and black keys G, which are spaced and arranged precisely like those of the
main keyboard. In the frame C are pivoted a series of levers H, H, which carry
fingers I, I, directly above the keys A, B, of the main keyboard. These fingers
serve to transmit the motion of the keys F, G, to the keys A, B, so that if a key F
is depressed the corresponding key A is acted upon and the corresponding hammer
set in motion. Now in order to transpose it is only necessary to slide the frame D,
and with it the keys F, G, laterally as far as desired. Thus if a piece of music
written in C major is to be played in F major it is only necessary to move the
slide D so far as to bring the key F which represents the note C in line with the
key A, which represents the note F. The player can then play on the movable key-
board without regard to transposition, yet the music produced will be transposed.
The fingers I, I, are made of varying lengths, as shown in Figure 3, those being
longest which are placed above the white keys, and those shortest which are over
the black keys of the permanent keyboard. Suitable springs a, a, hold the levers
H, H, in contact with the keys F, G, so as to have all the parts in position for use,
as in Figure 1.
When the frame D is to be moved laterally it is first lowered to carry the
keys F, G, away from the levers H, H. To this end I support the inner part of the
frame D (that which is nearest the permanent keyboard) on a wedge shaped slide J,
which when slid in one direction will elevate the frame D as in Figure 1, and when
slid in the other direction will lower it. Contact between the movable keys and the
levers H, H, being thus interrupted, the frame D may be moved laterally, and after
its new position has been properly obtained it is again elevated to bring its keys
F, G, in contact with the levers H, H. Instead of a wedge J, any other device for
raising and lowering the frame D may be used. Instead of raising and lowering the
frame D suitable means may be provided for raising the levers H off the keys
F, G, preparatory to sliding the frame D.
The same principle of Invention is applicable to the devices shown in Figures 4,
5, and 6. Thus in Figure 4 the laterally movable keyboard L is combined with a
system of levers M, N, which act on the hammers O. In this instance the levers M
take the place of the ordinary permanent keyboard.
In Figure the laterally movable keyboard P is placed over the ordinary key-
board Q instead of in front thereof, as in Figure 1. In this example (Figure 5) the
keys P reach the keys Q by means of vertically sliding rods R, which are held in a
fixed board S. In Figure 6 the movable key board T is in front of the ordinary
keyboard U the same as in Figure 1, with only this difference, that the keys U are
made shorter and not provided with the ivory and ebony finger pieces.
In the examples shown in Figures 4 and 6 the improved apparatus must be a
constant part of the instrument, but in the other examples shown it may be a

page_text: removable attachment. The modifications shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6 do not illus-
trate the mechanism J for lateral nor the mechanism E for longitudinal adjustment
of the movable frame; but I desire it to be particularly understood that these
modifications can and are only to be used in conjunction with such double adjusting
mechanism, the modifications being introduced for the sole purpose of showing
different forms of apparatus to which the Invention is applicable.
Having described the nature of the Invention and the manner of performing the
same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent
is,-
1st. The combination of the laterally movable keyboard on a keyboard instru-
ment with the mechanism for entirely breaking contact between the keys of the
movable keyboard and those of the permanent keyboard preparatory to sliding the
movable keyboard, substantially as specified.
2nd. The combination of the frame C, sliding frame D, and supplemental key-
board F, G, with the levers H and fingers I of different lengths for use in front of
the keyboard of a pianoforte or other musical instrument, substantially as
specified.
3rd. The combination in a musical instrument having a keyboard A, B, of the
attachment frame C carrying levers H and fingers I with the slide D carrying
supplemental keys F, G, and with mechanism E for lateral and mechanism J for
vertical displacement of the slide D, so that said displacement will not affect said
levers, substantially as specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, havo hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)