AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR TEACHING HARMONY
Year: 1881

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Frederick Clifton and John Nevil
Maskelyne at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th
December 1881.
FREDERICK CLIFTON of Somerleayton Road Brixton in the County of Surrey
and JORN NEVIL MASKELYNE of the Egyptian Hall Piccadilly in the County
of Middlesex "AN IMPROVED MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR TEACHING
HARMONY."
The object of this Invention is to teach harmony with its accompaniments of
composition and orchestration by means of apparatus which may be combined with
a piano or organ or may be used by itself.
For the purpose of our Invention we divide the octave into 12 several parts
or sounds which will be numbered 1 2 flat 2 natural 2 sharp 3 4 4 sharp
56 flat 6 natural 7 flat 7 natural the words flat sharp and natural being
represented by the usual musicals symbols. These are all the sounds that will
require musical grammatical treatment in any major key. All other sounds such as
3 flat 5 sharp and so on belong according to our method to another key or tonic.
In combinations of these sounds the sharps or acuto sounds will as a rule rise
a grade to form a new combination the flats or grave sounds will fall the
independent sounds may fall or skip the principal sounds may rise fall or skip
provided the order of the combination of principal sounds be changed. Any com-
bination other than that of the principal sounds must be followed by some
combination of those sounds. These numbered sounds we represent by form or
colour or both thus the principal numbers or sounds viz. 135 may be represented
by numbered discs of metal the grave or flat sounds viz. 2 flat 4 & 6 Hat by
squares the sharp or acuto sounds viz. 2 sharp 4 sharp 7 flat and 7 natural by
triangles and the independent sounds viz. 2 and 6 by crosses or all the sounds may
be represented by either discs squares triangles or crosses of metal differently
colored thus principal sounds black and white flat sounds blue sharp sounds
yellow independent sounds red.
The numbers will refer to corresponding notes in every key the key note or tonic
being in every case No. 1.

page_text: In one form of the apparatus the discs or other pieces of metal are mounted on
the ends of vertical rods. These rods rest on levers which are actuated by the
keys and they are maintained in the vertical position by means of a horizontal
bar which is mounted on a rod suitably placed for the purpose. The bar with the
rods and discs may be shifted on the rod to to the right or left to bring the disc rods
in correspondance with the notos of the key or tonic at the time being studied.
The disc rods increase in length for each fresh number or grade thus the rods of
No. 2 grade will be longer than the rod of No. 1 grade and that of 3 than those
of 2. In front of the rods and attached to the bar is a screen the upper edge of
which is cut in steps corresponding to the increase in the longth of the rods.
In rear of the rods is placed a white board and in front a skeleton stave. These
two parts which may be of any suitable length are connected together and are
capable of being raised or lowered according to the position of the key note or
tonic on the stave; thus if the key is B the stave is lowered so that the disc 1
(which will have to represent in this case the key note or tonic B) when raised
shall appear on the third line of the treble stave or the stave is raised when the
key is F so that No. 1 disc may be shown in the first space of tho stavo.
As the notes on the instrument are struck the corresponding discs are raised
from behind the screen. In this manner tho mind of the student will be assisted
by the eye and the resolving of the chord will be presented in a tangible
form.
In the above apparatus the notes will be presented on the stave in an oblique
lino but they may be presented in a vertical line by attaching the disc rods to small
bell crank or other levers so that they may be pushed out sideways. In this
instance the screen behind which the discs are hidden until required will be plain.
For ordinary purposes two octaves of discs will be sufficient but three four or
more may be employed so that the notes of the bass as well as of the treble clef
may be seen.
Other modes of securing the discs may also be employed but the modos described
above are the simplest.
By means of this Invention the study of harmony composition orchestration
and sight reading will be reduced to tho practical disposition of twelve sounds
which may be treated in every key by simply moving the key board or the
apparatus if the key board is stationary.
If desired means may be provided to hold up by a pedal or otherwise the first
combination of discs while a new combination is being formed and the corresponding
discs raised.