Improvements in Citharas.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Jan., 1895-Accepted, 22nd Feb. 1896
Improvements in Citharas.
1, CARL HERMANN WEBER of 20. Reitbahustrasse, Dresden, Saxony, in the
Empire of Germany, Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
The object of this invention is a cithara which by reason of the special arrange-
ment of the dampening means mounted on rollers capable of turning and of being
adjusted in a longitudinal sense, which allows of a large number of chords to be
produced with a small number of rollers, the tone of the cithara being moreover
greatly improved and rendered more audible.
In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the improved cithara,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the casing or box mounted on the cithera and
carrying the rollers. Fig. 2 is a corresponding plan with the cover and the side:
ledges a removed.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of the box when the rollers are depressed.
Fig. 4 is a front view of the box provided with a note scale.
Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are respectively a front, a side and a plan view of the adjustable
bearings for the fixed ends of the rollers.
Fig. 8 shows a plan of the cithera fitted with one of these boxes.
Fig. 9 is a side view of the cithara ready for play.
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 show the fixing and stopping device for the feet.
The box is quadrangular in shape and is fixed on the casing of the
instrument over the strings. The front and rear wall being provided with
suitable notches for the cross strings. In this box are several rollers d of
polygonal, shape arranged in such a manner as to be fixed at their right hand
ends while their left hand ends can be depressed by exerting pressure upon the
knob e.
The rollers may have 4, 5 or 6 sides and be slightly tapered towards
their fixed end. Upon the sides of these rollers are arranged the felt, pieces f
required to dampen the strings which should not vibrate so that the non dampened
strings will emit a harmonious chord. Each roller as well as each side of a roller
is differently fitted with felt pieces so that, for instance, with three quadrangular
rollers twelve different chords can be produced. At each end the rollers are
provided with discs g of metal. A pin is provided for supporting the rollers at
their right band end. To set each roller a suitably curved piece i provided with a
through perforation is arranged at the end, wherein a wooden plug k is inserted
and serves to firmly hold the set screw k¹. To this piece i is fixed by screw k and
slot 3 a Ushaped bent piece of steel adjustable vertically and provided with an
opening as bearing for the pin of the roller. The fixing is to be so arranged
that the rollers when in their raised position will be clear of and allow the last
string to vibrate but whilst in depressed condition of the rollers this last string
will be dampened. This means of fitting can be specially provided for each roller
or may consist of one piece for all the rollers. On the left hand end, each roller
is provided with a quadrangular piece by means of which the same is guided
between the guiding rods m. Below the rollers are placed pierced plates m₁
which are passed over the guiding rods m and by the force of the spiral springs m²
exert an upward pressure so as to raise the roller by the plate. To actuate the
roller as well as to characterize or determine the tune the same is provided with a
[D971

page_text: knob e connected thereto by a neck pin n or its equivalent, as well as with a square
piece n² of boue or other suitable inaterial upon which the chords are marked
corresponding to the dampening felts. The pin n is inserted through slots n' of
the left hand side wall of the box. To close the slots a bar a (Fig. 1 but removed
from Fig. 2) is fixed over the left hand side wall and is set obliquely to facilitate
inspection of the description of the chords as regulated by the player sitting in
front of the cithara. At its inner side the bar a is provided with flannel and the
piece acts as a stop. If the rollers are provided with 3 or 6 sides, the piece
and n should likewise have 3 or 6 sides. In order to be able to double the
number of chords, the rollers d can be arranged so as to be movable in a
longitudinal sense. For this purpose the pins / square pieces n³ and neck pins n
should have a corresponding length. The rollers are pushed to the left hand side
by the spiral springs o coiled on the pins and when the roller is depressed the
chord indicated on the left of the square piece is sounded.
To sound the chord on the left hand side the rolls must be depressed and shifted
to the right hand side whereby the chord will be half a tone higher, the string
arrangement of the cithara being then chromatic.
To the front side of the box bare marked on staff lines the different notes as
well as their name and the string which corresponds to that note is indicated by
the point of the corresponding stroke or mark. A melo ly can therefore be played
by striking the strings separately. For players who do not know the notes the
strings are marked with a series of increasing numbers the chords being also
indicated by signs placed on the small table p. The position of the square piece n²
relatively to the rollers is such as to allow the small flats thereof to be vertical
when the chord indicated on the square piece that is to say, on the small board is
below the roller and hence ready to be played off. In order to pass from one
chord to the other on the same roller it is only requisite to turn the rollers until
the required chord is shown on the square piece i.e. on the same flat that is to say
the indication of the chord will be found in the position above mentioned. By
depressing the rollers and moving them to the right, the strings which are not
required to be sounded are dampened while by striking all the strings with an
ordinary cithara finger piece the chord required will be sounded.
The box is closed by a cover or lid which may be either solid or not and my
have any suitable shape or form while it may be provided in any desired manner
with music stands of suitable construction. To enhance the fullness of the sound
the cithera is placed in a slanting position. For this purpose there are provided
besides the ordinary small round feet r, Fig. 9, other folding feet or legs s which
are fixed to the sides of the casing c of the instrument. To limit the motion of
these feet plates are provided being made readily in one piece arranged at the
fixing points of the feet and of the shape clearly shown in Figs. 10 to 12.
To play the instrument the same is placed in the position shown in Fig. 9 the
player sitting in front of it at A. With the left hand he turns, shifts or displaces
and depresses the rollers d by the aid of the knob e, while by means of the thumb
piece fixed to his right hand thumb he plays off his melody by striking the
individual strings, and sounding the chords, this being effected by passing the
thumb piece from the left to the right hand side across the strings while bearing
on same and after having first depressed the rollers. The music is placed on the
lid 7, the description of the strings are on the front side of the box so that the
player has these indications always before his eyes while he can convince himself
of the right position of the rollers by a glance at the side bar a.
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. A cithara characterized by a number of rollers d enclosed in a box 6 turning
freely on their axes secured at one end and depressible at the other end and
provided with dampers of these rollers allowing when raised the strings of the

page_text: instrument to be sounded but dampening a number of strings when lowered so that
the remaining vibrating string may produce a chord.
2. In the cithara above claimed the adjustment of the rollers in such a manner
that in their highest position all the strings are free to vibrate while in their
depressed position some of the strings are dampened with an adjustable bearing
for the right end pin h, of the rollers such as the U shaped steel piece 2 provided
with a bearing opening and firmly fixed at a suitable height to the piece i of the
cithara with the aid of a longitudinal slot k³.
3. To determine the chord ready to be played in the cithara above claimed a
squared piece n² in connection with the roller d and made with a flat or flats
indicating the chords to the player in such manner that when the rollers are
properly set or adjusted this flat is perpendicular to the cithara.
4. In the cithara above claimed a table for the designation of the strings fixed
to the front side of the box band characterized by its division into small parts or
sections wherein the strings are designated by notes and by numbers for the
uninitiated these parts or sections ending in a sharp point tapering from the strings
substantially as herein described and shown.
5. In the cithara claimed above the mode of displacing the rollers in order to
double the chords by separating two adjoining strings the same being characterized
by the employment of a spiral spring o which presses the rollers in one direction
whereby they are maintained in one position being subsequently shifted by over-
coming the resistance of the spring, thus producing a chord half a tone higher or
half a tone lower substantially as herein described and shown.
6. In the cithara above claimed the arrangement for enhancing the sound
characterized by the feet s, arranged to turn over the cithara case the plates t
being provided with suitable stops and consisting of one piece to limit the turning
motion of the feet substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 22nd day of January 1895.
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76 Chancery Lane, W.C., Agents for Applicant.