Improvements in Organ Pipes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 21st Oct., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Organ Pipes.
I, WILHELM THEODOR FRIEDRICH WEIGLE, of Stuttgart, in the Empire of
Germany, Organ Builder, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
My invention relates to labial organ pipes, the object being to confer upon large
church and concert organs, especially as regards their solo stops, that strength of
tone and quality of timbre which is expected from such instruments in very large
spaces. This has, up to the present, not been effected to the desired extent."
Hitherto it has been sought to obtain the required strength of tone in large
instruments by providing them with from 80 to 120 stops, that is to say, by
increasing the number of pipes as much as possible. Instruments so constructed,
however, require a large amount of space, and the tone effects obtained bear no
manner of proportion to the expense incurred in their erection. Moreover, the
characteristic timbre of the stops is too weak to produce a fine effect in a large
building, with such organs. Nor is the required strength of tone obtained by
re-inforcing the stops by combining with them other, even if similar stops, on the
contrary the effect is disadvantageous inasmuch as the characteristic timbre is
thereby concealed and rendered undecided.
The tone of an organ is no doubt strengthened to some extent by increasing the
number of stops, that is to say, the number of pipes to each note, because the effect
of the simultaneous sounding of a number of pipes is to set a larger volume of air
in sympathetic vibration, so that the tone acts upon the ear more strongly, although
its amplitude (intensity) is thereby in no way increased. This method of re-inforcing
the tone does not, however, suffice for large spaces and is, as has already been
remarked, very expensive. The immediate question then, one which several organ
builders had attempted to solve, was how to increase, by the use of air at a pressure
considerably higher than that usually employed, the tone of single pipes, or
stops.
This bas up to now only been successfully accomplished in the reed stops of the
organ.
As regards the labial pipes, on the other hand, it has not been possible, in their
present form, to feed them with air at a pressure much above that usually
employed, since, when the pressure is increased, the tone loses its precision, and
becomes in the highest degree unmusical and disagreeable, or the pipes may even
refuse to speak at all.
By means of the new labial organ pipe hereinafter described with reference to
the accompanying drawings, it is possible to produce a labial pipe tone of extra-
ordinarily beautiful timbre, and with a tone strength of any desired intensity. In
order to obtain any desired strength of toue from this new high pressure air labial
pipe, it is only necessary to increase the pressure of the air to a corresponding
extent.
By this means it is possible to construct instruments for large buildings with
half the number of stops, and so with half the number of pipes, but with equal,
indeed, greater strength and fullness of tone.
This is done, in the case for instance of an instrument which, to be of adequate
power, would require to be built with about a hundred stops, by constructing it
with about 40 stops of the ordinary kind, and in addition with about 10 high
pressure stops. Such an organ will cost but little more than half as much as au
organ built according to the usual plan, and will occupy considerably less space.

page_text: In the accompanying drawing,—
Figure 1 is an elevation of a labial organ pipe constructed according to my
invention:
Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same; and,
Figure 3 is a cross section in the direction of the line in Figures 1 and 2:
Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of a labial pipe of the old construction; and,
Figure 5 is a cross section of the same on the line of Figure 4.
Corresponding parts are shewn by similar lettering in the two pipes.
a is the eylindrical body of the pipe, which is in Figures 1 to 3 according to my
invention cut away at the month to the extent of half its diameter, the opening
being in height equal to about one fourth of the diameter of the body.
The block or tongue e of the pipe forms at its front edge, that is, at the front
half of its circumference, a semi-circular air-space (throat) d, from one end of the
opening to the other, as shewn in Figure 3. The rear half of its circumference
is firmly soldered to the prolongatione of the foot f, the lower end of the latter
being inserted in the opening of a wind channel.
The pipe may be furnished at its upper end with a cover h, which closes the pipe
by means of a packing, whereby the open pipe converted into a stopped one.
As shewn in the drawing, this new high pressure labial pipe differs from that
shewn in Figure 4 (of the old form) by the form of the mouth-piece and that of
the block or tongue placed therein. In the pipes hitherto in use the lips, upper
and lower, of the mouth-piece have been pressed flat, and the air-space included
between the lower lip and the front of the block or tongue which was cut away in
a straight line has been not semi-circular but as shewn in Figure 5.
My improved organ pipes have the very important property of giving even with
the ordinary organ pressure of air 80° (80°= 80" of water pressure) a stronger
and more musical tone than those at present in use.
The most valuable peculiarity of the new pipes, however, consists in the fact
that at all pressures of air, even the highest, they give a tone corresponding in
strength to the pressure, but yet grand and musical, the quality of the tone
being controllable by the size (diameter of body) selected for the pipe, which
may vary.
By means of my pipes it is possible to obtain tones which, without any detraction
from their quality, are from 20 to 30 times stronger thau hitherto.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. An organ pipe in which the lips are not made Hat, but cylindrical, and form
with the semi-circular front of the block or tongue a semi-circular air opening, for
the purpose of obtaining a tone of any intensity desired and of good quality by
adjusting at will the pressure of air, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. The improved organ pipe hereinbefore described and illustrated in Figures 1
to 3 of the accompanying drawing.
Dated this Sh
DJ
1
1000
1000
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.