AN OBJECTIVE MUSICAL STAFF WITH MOVABLE NOTES AND RESTS, EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN COMBINATION WITH A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, BY WHICH SAID STAFF IS CONVERTED INTO A MUSICAL SOUNDING STAFF
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lewis Alford Seward and Samuel Phillips, of the
City and County of San Francisco, State of California, in the
United States of America, for the Invention of "AN OBJECTIVE
MUSICAL STAFF WITH MOVABLE NOTES AND RESTS, EITHER SEPARATELY OR IN
COMBINATION WITH A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, BY WHICH SAID STAFF IS
CONVERTED INTO A MUSICAL SOUNDING STAFF."
Sealed the 16th January 1874, and dated the 6th November 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Lewis Alford Seward and
Samuel Phillips at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
their Petition and Declaration, on the 6th November 1873, pursuant
to the 9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, LEWIS
ALFORD SEWARD and SAMUEL PHILLIPS, of the City and County of San
Francisco, State of California, in the United States of America, send
greeting.
WHEREAS we are in possession of an Invention for "AN OBJECTIVE
MUSICAL STAFF WITH MOVABLE NOTES AND RESTS, EITHER SEPARATELY OR IS

page_text: COMBINATION WITH ▲ MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, BY WHICH SAID STAFF IS CONVERTED
INTO A MUSICAL SOUNDING STAFF," and have petitioned Her Majesty to grant
unto us, our executors, administrators, and assigns, Her Royal Letters
Patent for the same, and have made solemn Declaration that we really
believe ourselves to be the first and true Inventors thereof.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Lewis Alford Seward and Samuel
Phillips, do hereby declare that the following Complete Specification
under our hands and seals, fully describes the nature of our said Inven-
tion, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, that is to
Bay :-
Our Invention relates to improvements in musical staves, and the
notes and rests employed in connection therewith, for the purpose of
teaching the principles of music, the whole formning what we call " an
objective musical staff."
The objective musical sounding staff consists, in one form of the staff
of music painted on boards or other suitable material of any desired size,
length, or width. Grooves, wires, staples, or other equivalent devices
represented by A, B, C, D, E, are used, by which movable notes F, rest
G, and all characters used in music can be readily attached to the lines,
and spaces of the staff. This staff when applied to the piano, organ, or
other keyed instrument with appropriate mechanical contrivances used
in all organs, whereby the swell organ, as connected with the front key-
board, causes every line and space represented upon the musical staff, to
give out its appropriate sound when pressed. Movable notes F being
then placed on this sounding staff keyboard D, pupils not only see but
hear the notes which are touched, conveying in the clearest manner to
the mind of the pupil the close connection between the sound of the
notes and the line or space on which they are placed. For lessons in
harmony and thorough bass this sounding staff keyboard opens immense
advantages.
The upper perpendicular keyboard (see Drawing) placed above the
sounding staff keyboard, enables the largest class to see the keys
depressed corresponding to the notes placed on the sounding staff, thus
becoming practically acquainted with the keyboard and staff together.
We also provid a frame Fig. 3, upon which a series of five wires,
representing a musical staff, can be shifted up or down as desired. This
frame is also to be used with printed sheet music as follows:-

page_text: It being desired to change the key upon which the music is written, it
will only be necessary to raise or lower the wire staff until the wires are
appropriately arranged or adjusted to represent the desired key.
The lines and spaces of a musical staff may be represented on the face
of concertinas, and similar keyed instruments, so that the keys of the
instrument become the notes of the music, so that the player merely
touches the counterpart note of the written music and produces the
correct sound. This enables a person without previous training to play
a piece of music at sight, for by pressing the valves or keys, which are
placed on the raised lines and spaces shown by the notes on the printed
music, the operator can be sure that the correct sound is produced.
This will enable thousands who have a taste for music without a
knowledge of the art, to learn their parts without the aid of a teacher,
thus giving them a never ending source of pleasure and amusement.
The staff detached from a musical instrument can be constructed in
various ways in detached slats so as to roll up, or painted on boards,
&c. Used in sliding grooves (see Drawing) the boards can be brought
down within the reach of the smallest child. In this form it becomes a
most valuable auxiliary to the teacher, the movable notes enabling the
children to build up their own melodies, scales, &c., thus interesting the
minds of the pupils, and conveying valuable instruction through their
love of amusement.
The great facility with which melodies can be changed or transposed
from one key to another, enables the scholar in a surprisingly short
space of time to become adepts in the knowledge and sound of the
intervals. Rhymes are arranged to appropriate melodies embodying all
the principle rudiments, knowledge of the major and minor scale, &c.,
so that children learn the essential rudiments of the art without an
effort. By aid of the smaller boards the teacher can interest all his
scholars. They, eagerly watching the examples set up on the big board,
find great pleasure in doing likewise on their own boards.
The notes are arranged in compartments and placed in boxes, and the
children become as familiar with them as the printer does with his type.
This sounding staff with raised lines is invaluable to the blind. Their
keen sense of tonch enabling them to hear and understand the examples
set for them by their teacher.

page_text: Having thus described our Invention, what we claim and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is,-
First. The combination of a musical staff of any convenient con-
struction with movable notes and rests, substantially as and for the
purpose above described.
Second. The combination of a sliding scale with a suitable frame for
holding sheet music, substantially as and for the purpose above
described.
Third. The combination of a musical indicating staff either with or
without movable notes and rests, with the keyboard of a musical
instrument, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, we, the said Lewis Alford Seward and Samuel
Phillips, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eleventh
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and seventy-three.
Witnesses,
JOHN L. BOONE,
C. M. RICHARDSON.
LEWIS ALFORD SEWARD. (L.S.)
SAMUEL PHILLIPS.
(L.S.)