IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE TRUMPETS and FRENCH HORNS
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Bassett, of Hampstead Road, in the
County of Middlesex, Analytical Chemist, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE TRUMPETS and FRENCH HORNS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Bassett at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th August 1873.
I, HENRY BASSETT, of Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Analytical Chemist, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN VALVE TRUMPETS AND FRENCH HORNS," to be as
follows:-
The object of this Invention is the production of a more perfect
musical scale on valve trumpets and French horns than has hitherto
been obtained.
It is well known that instruments made on the usual system are
defective. In particular the F and Bb are faulty notes, or if these notes

page_text: are correct the D and AD are bad. The also is invariably
unsatisfactory.
By the present Invention all these notes are obtained in nearly perfect
time without any addition to the number of valves, and with very
little alteration in the usual fingering, and only omitting one note, the 5
low Ab, which is very rarely, if ever, required.
In order to remedy the above defects I tune the valves as follows:-
1st valve lowers the pitch a major tone.
2nd lowers the pitch a diatonic semitone.
"
"
3rd raises the pitch produced by the depression of the first 1
valve by the interval known in music as a ' comma," in other words,
the first and third valves used together lower the pitch of the instru-
ment a minor tone, which differs from the major tone by the interval
above mentioned.
Now the essential feature of my Invention consists in the application 1
of this interval of a comma, substantially in the manner above described,
and I therefore call an instrument so constructed a comma trumpet or
comma horn.
By the combination of these three valves the whole chromatic scale
is obtained in good tune, as I have proved by calculation and also 2
experimentally, with the exception of the low Ab, which is wanting. I
reserve however the right of retaining the usual third valve in addition,
which in combination with the second would supply this note. Existing
instruments can easily be altered to this principle.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Bassett in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 24th February 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
BASSETT, of Hampstead Road, in the County of Middlesex, Analytical.
Chemist, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of August, in the year

page_text: of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the 37th
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Henry Bassett, Her special license that
I, the said Henry Bassett, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Henry Bassett, my executors, admin-
istrators, or 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 IMPROVEMENTS IN
VALVE TRUMPETS AND FRENCH HORNS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Henry Bassett, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Scal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Basset, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings
and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is the production of a more perfect
musical scale on valve trumpets and French horns than has hitherto
been obtained.
It is well known that instruments made on the usual system are
defective. In particular the F and Bb are faulty notes, or if these notes
are correct the D and Ab are bad. The Eb also is invariably.
unsatisfactory.
By the present Invention all these notes are obtained in nearly perfect
time, without any addition to the number of valves, and with very
little alteration in the usual fingering, and only omitting one note, the
low Ab, which is very rarely, if ever, required.
In order to remedy the above defects I tune the valves as follows:-
1st valve lowers the pitch a major tone.
2nd ditto lowers the pitch a diatonic semitone.
3rd ditto raises the pitch produced by the depression of the first valva

page_text: by the interval known in music as "a comma," in other words the first
and third valves used together lower the pitch of the instrument a
minor tone, which differs from the major tone by the interval above
mentioned.
Now the essential feature of my Invention consists in the application 5
of this interval of a comma, substantially in the manner above described,
and I therefore call an instrument so constructed a comma trumpet or
comma horn.
By the combination of these three valves the whole chromatic scale
is obtained in good tune, as I have proved by calculation and also 10
experimentally, with the exception of the low Ab, which is wanting. I
reserve however the right of retaining the usual third valve in addition,
which in combination with the second would supply this note E.
Existing instruments can easily be altered to this principle.
And in order that the said Invention may be fully understood I shall 16
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
shall refer to the Figure on the annexed Sheet of Drawings.
The accompanying Drawing is a perspective side view of the third
valve of a trumpet constructed according to my Invention.
As there represented, the current of air coming from the mouth piece 20
of the instrument along the tube A, and indicated by the arrows in black
ink, passes through the hole 1 in the valve B then round the bent
tube C through the hole 2 in the valve B and into the tube D, which
leads to the bell of the instrument.
When the valve B is depressed howover the holes 3 and 4 in the 2
valve B (shewn in red ink) will come opposite to the upper and lower
orifices respectively of the bent tube E, and the current of air will
therefore be diverted from the tube A, through the holo 3, round the
bent tube E (as indicated by the arrows in red ink), and through the
hole 4 into the tube D leading to the bell of the instrument. The bent 3
tube E being shorter than the bent tube C this diversion of the current
of air will obviously have the effect of sharpening or raising the pitch of
the note played to an extent corresponding to the difference of the
lengths of the tubes E and C, which difference for the purpose required
should be 1 inch in their total lengths or thereabouts for a trumpet, 3
and twice that amount or 2 inches or thereabouts for a French horn.

page_text: The production of the note D in good tune (using the first and third
valves together) will give a test for the correctness of the adjustment of
tho third valve, which adjustment may be finally made if necessary by
pulling out or pushing in the tube E, but in practice one position
answers for a trumpet in all keys from F to C.)
One great advantage obtained by, this Invention is that several notes
are played with less alteration in the total length of the instrument
than is the case with instruments on the usual system, the result of
which is the production of a better tone.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
Invention and the manner in which the same is or may be used or
carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I do not confine
or restrict myself to the particular mode of carrying out my Invention
here described, which may be varied (for instance, with the action known
as the rotary cylinder action instead of with pistons), but what I do
consider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
application and use of the interval of a
comma," produced by the
alteration of one of the series of valves in trumpets and French horns,
substantially as and for the purposes herein-before set forth.
"
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Bassett, have, to this my
Specification, set my hand and seal, the Twenty-third day of
February, One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.