Improvements in Mechanically Played Musical Instruments with Steel Sounding Teeth.
Year: 1893

page_text: te of Application, 30th Sept., 1893-Accepted, 4th Nov., 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Mechanically Played Musical Instruments with
Steel Sounding Teeth.
I, OSKAR PAUL LOCHMANN of Leipzig-Gohlis in the German Empire,
Director of the Fabrik Lochmann'scher Musikwerk Actien Gesellschaft, 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:-
This invention relates to mechanically played musical instruments of the kind
that have steel sounding teeth and rotary note discs and it consists in the com-
bination of a number of different note discs which rotate simultaneously and in
agreement with each other, and on which the notes of the piece of music to be
played are distributed all the note discs taking part in the playing of the particular
piece of music.
The object of the invention is to obtain graduations or different strengths of sound
in the playing of the instrument. This object is attained by means of the mechanism
shewn in the accompanying drawing in which
Fig. 1 is a plan view of a music works provided, by way of example, with three
sets of steel sounding teeth and three note discs.
Fig. 2 gives an example of the music severally played from the note discs.
a, a, a, are three sets of steel sounding teeth arranged in the form of combs and
giving different varieties or strengths of sound, one for example may give a mezzo
tone, another a forte tone, and another a fortissimo tone, as shewn in the drawing.
In addition to these sets of steel sounding teeth there may when desired be further
provided in conjunction therewith, piano tones, piccolo tones, bell tones, etcetera.
b, b¹, b, are note discs respectively serving to actuate sounding teeth a, a', a², and
on which the notes of the music to be played are so distributed as to render said
note discs dissimilar, for example, the a set of teeth are as shewn in the drawing, in
connection with a note disc b, appertaining to a mezzo tone, and it bears all the
notes of the piece, whilst note disc which actuates the a¹ set of teeth only bears
notes where forte is to be played, and note disc 62 notes only where fortissimo is to
be played. If now the note discs are set in simultaneous and regular rotation they
will, by reason of the notes distributed amongst them inutually assist to play the
piece, note disc 6 bringing the corresponding teeth to sound and play the piece in
mezzo tone, whilst note disc b¹ plays the forte tone only at the corresponding parts
of the piece, by bringing the particular steel teeth to sound in stronger or more
pronounced tones, and note disc 62 plays the fortissimo or still stronger tones.
Note discs b, b', b, are mounted on spindles e, el, e², each of which has fixed upon
it a toothed wheel f, these three wheels being in connection with each other through
toothed wheels g. There is further fixed on spindle el a toothed wheel f¹ which is
engaged by a wheel of the driving mechanism and the note discs thereby set in
simultaneous and regular rotation.
Therefore by means of the described combination of several different note discs
different tones are produced in the playing of music so that the tones are sometimes
gentle sometimes strong and sometimes are of the piccolo, bell, etcetera, kind,
according to the arrangement of the discs and distribution thereon of the notes and
it is obvious that the most different variations may be obtained in this way.
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:-
In mechanically played musical instruments of the kind referred to, a construction
in which two or more different and simultaneously rotating note discs on which the

page_text: notes of the music to be played are distributed for the purpose of obtaining different
effects, effect in combination the playing of the music, substantially as described
and shewn.
Dated this 30th day of September 1893.
CAPITAINE & VON HERTLING,
89, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.