IMPROVEMENTS IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRU- MENTS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alphonse Sax, of Paris, France, Musical Instrument
Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRU-
MENTS."
Sealed the 25th January 1859, and dated the 26th July 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alphonse Sax at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 26th
July 1858.
I, ALPHONSE SAX, of Paris, France, Musical Instrument Maker, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN WIND MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS," to bo as follows:-
These improvements relate to trumpets, French, Sax, or other horns, bugles,
trombones, ophicleides, and other brass wind musical instruments of the kind
in which pistons are made use of for obtaining the diatonic and chromatic
scale of notes, by causing the vibratory column of air to pass in additional
tubes communicating with the main tube of the instrument.
In the said class of musical instruments the tones and semitones (sharps or
flats) other than those natural to the instrument, were obtained hitherto by
increasing the length of tube the column of air has to pass through, which was
done by putting, by means of the above-mentioned pistons, the main tube in
direct communication with additional tubes fixed to the instrument, the length

page_text: of which tubes was thus added to that of the said main tube, and thus certain
notes were obtained.
My Invention consists in providing the above mentioned class of musical
instruments, besides the just mentioned arrangement of tubes and pistons,
with other pistons and additional tubes, allowing for certain notes, to shorten
instead of increasing the total length of tube the vibratory column of air has
to pass through. For this purpose these pistons are constructed in such
manner that when causing the air to pass through the additional tube to
which they correspond, at the same time a certain length of the main tube
of the instrument is momentarily put out of action, and which length is of a
greater extent than that of the corresponding additional tube brought into
action. In certain cases I give to the bore of the additional tubes a conical
form corresponding with that of the main tube, and I also suitably round off
all the sharp edges there, where the said tubes meet with the main tube and
the pistons, and also the openings or holes of these latter, so as to do away
with any impediment to the regular progress of the column of air through
the tubes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alphonse Sax in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
26th January 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALPHONSE
Sax, of Paris, France, Musical Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alphonse Sax, Her special licence that I, the said Alphonse Sax,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alphonse Sax, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IMPROVE
MENTS IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alphonse Sax, my executors or administrators, by an instru-

page_text: ment in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alphonse Sax, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
These improvements relate to trumpets, French, Sax, cornopean, or other
horns, bugles, trombones, ophicleides, and other brass wind musical instru-
ments of the kind in which piston keys are made use of for obtaining the
diatonic and chromatic scale, by causing the vibratory column of air to pass
through additional tubes communicating with the main tube of the instru-
ment.
In the said instruments the notes and semitones other than those
naturally belonging to the instrument, were obtained hitherto by increasing
the length of tube through which the column of air has to pass before it
reaches the bell of the instrument, which was done by putting, by means of
the above-mentioned pistons, the main tube in direct communication with
certain additional tubes, the length of which, being thus added to that of the
main tube thereby gives rise to the modification required for obtaining certain
notes. The pistons, by which is obtained this increasing of the length of tube
the column of air has to pass through, I will henceforth call the lowering or
descending pistons. This method for obtaining the notes and semitones not
natural to the instrument, did not allow of obtaining them all with musical
exactness, unless in some cases enormous lengths of tubes, far exceeding those
practically possible, were made use of.
My Invention consists in providing the above indicated class of musical
instruments, besides of the just mentioned arrangement of tubes and pistons,
with other additional tubes and pistons, which latter I will henceforth
call the ascending pistons, allowing to give with the required exactness those
notes and semitones which could not be obtained so by the descending
pistons, and which I effect by putting, by means of the said ascending
pistons, the main tube in communication with additional tubes, so as to
put momentarily the required lengths of the main tube, corresponding
with these additional tubes, out of action, thus, in fact, decreasing the total
length of tube the column of air has to pass through. I must add here at

page_text: once that the bore of the additional tubes may be cylindrical, though I prefer
giving them a conical form, in order better to correspond with that of the main
tube; the edges of the opening holes of the pistons of the additional and the
main tube ought to be suitably rounded off. I will now enter into some further
explanations of the nature and mode of acting of my Invention, for which I will
refer to the annexed Drawings. As already mentioned, a principal part of
my Invention consists in giving to the bore of the additional tubes, and to the
openings of the ascending and descending pistons a conical bore, so as to cause
the column of air to follow a conical opening during the entire length of its
progress through the instrument. The lengths of the additional tubes for my
ascending pistons may, in a manner similar to those of the hitherto existing
descending pistons ascend by a chromatic scale, that is to say, one for a semi-
tone, one for a full note, and one for a note and semitone, and more if judged
proper, illustrations of which are given in Sheet I. of the annexed Drawings.
The perforations of my improved pistons are arranged in such manner as to
cause the air column to pass twice through each piston, as shown by the arrows
in the Drawing, whether the same is acting or not; they are perforated so as
to have the entrance and exit openings of different diameters in such manner
that the vibratory air column enters the piston by the smallest perforation, and
passing through it in a horizontal or in a somewhat slanting direction, as
indicated by the dotted lines in the Drawing, enters into the required
additional tube, by which latter the air column is brought back to the largest
perforation of the piston, to continue further its progress through the instru-
ment. Thus, for instance, in Fig. 1, Sheet I., is represented an instrument
provided with two ascending pistons A, B, and two descending pistons A, B,
by the action of each of which, certain lengths P, Q, of the main tube may be
temporarily, that is to say, during the action of the pistons, put out of action,
whereas, instead of this part P, additional tubes C, D, and C³, D¹, are brought
into operation, the first one C, D, of shorter lengths as the parts P, Q, tempo-
rarily put out of action, and the other C¹, D', of a length exceeding on the
contrary that of the parts P¹, Q. The lengths C and D in this Fige. being
calculated to elevate respectively for a semitone and a full note, whereas the
lengths of C and D¹ produce respectively a descending of a semitone and of
a full note. In Fig. 2 is represented an instrument provided with six pistons,
viz., three ascending ones A, B, C, and three descending ones A¹, B', C¹;
when the pistons are out of action the air column follows the direction
indicated by the arrows, whereas by putting in action the ascending pistons
A, B, C, the tubes P, Q, R, are momentarily put out of function and replaced

page_text: by the additional tubes S, T, U, of shorter length adhering to the said pistons,
the one S for ascending one note and a half, the one T for ascending only a
semitone, and the one U for ascending one full note. On the contrary by the
action of the pistons A, B, C, the tubes P, Q, R, are respectively put out
of action, whereas the tubes S, T, U, are put in action. In following in the
various Figures of the Drawing, the course of the air column (as indicated
by the arrows), one may see that throughout the entire instrument, the said
column follows a conical opening, the entrance openings of the various pistons
being smaller than the exit openings. Fig. 3 shows in A, B, the tubes
adhering to the piston before they are curved, (as in A', B',) and attached to
the piston C, this Fig. represents a descending piston, whereas in changing
respectively the position of the tubes A', B', that is to say, putting A¹, in the
position of B', and B' in the place of A', the piston will become an ascending
olle. Fig. 4 shows an instrument provided with three ascending pistons
with conical air column, and three descending pistons with cylindrical air
column as hitherto made use of, showing how, if required, my improved system
may exist on an instrument in combination with the old system of pistons.
Fig. 5 shows an arrangement of piston in which the ascending and descending
principles are combined, thus forming a piston of double effect, actuated by a
system of levers as may be readily understood by the Drawings; by pressing
on A, this arrangement will act as a descending piston, whereas on
pressing on B, the action is the reverse.
In Sheet II. is given a synoptical table for demonstrating my new principle
of the division by semitones applied to the brass wind musical instruments
in general, by the study of which table it will become evident how those
notes and semitones which hitherto were not given with exactness, are
obtained with any desirable musical justness. I wish it to be observed that
what in this description I have termed piston is a general term for any part
that would serve for lengthening or shortening the length of tube for the
vibratory air column to pass through.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
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 precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion
to describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of the said Invention; but
what I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Inven-
tion secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,

page_text: constructing brass wind musical instruments in which pistons are made use
of, in such manner as to allow them of giving with musical exactness all the
notes of their chromatic scale, by providing the said class of musical instru-
esides of the descending pistons, with ascending ones for giving the
chromatic notes.
ment.
ascend.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alphonse Sax, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of January One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
Witness,
J. SOUTH.
ALPHONSE SAX. (L.S.)

page_text: hand side represent the division of the 6 descending semitones obtained by the descending pistons lengthening the main tube. The notes situated in dotted vertical lines connected to the bells, show the tonics of all
the tones made use of in music. The column corresponding with each of these tonics gives exactly all the intervals of the common chord, the enharmonic resonances or natural notes of the various lengths of
the sonorous tube. The horisontal dotted lines show by semitones the degrees of the scale and the enharmonics of each semitone. When looking for the enharmonics and the chords it must be born in mind tha
double sharps and flats have been avoided. The oblique dotted lines show the combinations of consonant and dissonant chords corresponding with each scale. The full horisontal and diagonal lines
connected to the right hand side of the arrow show the simplest fingering of the descending pistons, and those connected to the left hand side of the arrow show the fingering of the ascending pistons,
the first ones lengthening and the second ones shortening the main tube, in the smallest proportions strictly required as allowed by the acoustical rules of the instruments, thereby altering the least
sible the volumes of air in proportion to the length of the original instrument. By following the progress of the chromatic scale from right to left, the various proportions of lengths will be found shown by
the distances between the dotted vertical lines corresponding vith the bells, which distances show the effect of the pistons and correspond with the various proportions of the 12 bells representing the effects of
the lengthening and shortening of the main tube. Each length of the sonorous tube has its tonic and successions of harmonic resonances. This improved arrangement and mode of acting of the pistons allows
to proceed by semitons and facilitates particularly the performing of anaxerinas and heatinas
pos