Improvements in Flutes.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Mar., 1896-Accepted, 4th July, 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Flutes.
I, CARLO TOMMASO GIORGI of 86 Via Depretio, Rome, in the Kingdom of
Italy, Professor of Music 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:-
Keyless flutes although used since the earliest times had never the full number of
eleven holes necessary to the natural production of the notes of the chromatic
scale, and the holes they had were not disposed according to acoustic laws; when
other holes are added covered with keys, these also were not arranged in accordance
with theoretic requirements; consequently the notes had not the right intonation
nor equality of sounds, the keys often occasioned cross fingering which rendered
the digitation very difficult and sometimes quite impossible. Afterwards when the
flute was radically reformed by Bohm and was constructed more scientifically the
holes were closed with ingenious mechanisms of keys, but these besides being
delicate, expensive and not always dependable, always bind some one key with
another so that it is impossible to close one hole without being obliged to close
another. In all these systems the fingering is complicated.
In all transversal flutes the higher harmonics by which the different octaves
should be obtained are not perfect in their intonation, but rather flat in their
progression. This is occasioned by the dispersion of the wind force through the
form of the mouth-piece. In the transversal flute the air blown from the lips beats
against the interior part of the pipe, from there it is reflected towards the cork
which stops the pipe, then reflected again along the pipe, so that it produces
dispersion of its force which renders the harmonic rather flat, therefore a special
fingering is necessary to produce the notes of the third octave, closing some lower
holes to reinforce the column of air, and also a slight modification of the normal
distance of the holes is required. Therefore the intonation is not perfect, the
quality of sounds is not homogeneous: the cross fingering renders the execution
often difficult and sometimes impossible with the normal digitation.
As a remedy to all these imperfections in flutes I have invented an instrument
entirely conformable to the laws of acoustics possessing all the eleven holes
necessary to the natural production of the chromatic scale. These are placed with
mathematic exactitude and in conformity with the natural position of the fingers
by which they can be closed without the necessity of keys. Each hole can be
closed independently and there is no cross fingering. Thus in the diminution of
mechanism the instrument becomes lighter, simpler, and less expensive. The
mouth-piece is at the superior extremity and disposed for blowing directly instead
of transversely to avoid the dispersion of wind and so that the harmonics of the 12th.
are got in perfect intonation and no special fingering is required for the production
of the 3rd. octave; the holes are left in their normal place and the notes are given
of perfect intonation and equality of sound from the lowest to the highest.
In the vertical flute the air is blown straight along the pipe so that it has no
attrition and causes less dispersion of its force and the third octave is rendered in
perfect intonation with the fingering of the harmonic of the 5th. below.
The following description with the accompanying drawings show the disposition
of the holes, the mode of digitation and the form of the mouth-piece.
In the drawings
Fig. 1 shows the scale by which the centres of the holes may be found.
Fio is a discrem showing the planince of the hole centres on the flute tube

page_text: Fig. 3 is a stave illustrating the notes to which the holes correspond.
Fig. 4 is a view of the improved flute in its simplest form.
Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate modifications in which keys are applied to the flute.
Having taken a pipe corresponding to the fundamental note I wish to have,
I divide its column of air in the proportions given by the acoustic laws for the
graduation of the chromatic scale C, c Fig. 1., and mark the distances from centre
to centre of the holes in the tube B, b, Fig. 2, accordingly. I proportion the size
of the holes in regard to the diameter of the pipe, placing them higher up the pipe
the smaller they are, that is to say, leaving a distance F, f, Fig. 2 at the end,
which is larger or smaller accordingly.
I place each hole at any point of the circle round the pipe to suit the conformation
of the fingers as shown at D, d, Fig. 4.
The first hole I is placed under the third phalange of the first finger of the
left hand. The 2nd. 3rd. 4th. 5th..and 6th. holes under the thumb and four fingers
of the left hand, the 7th. 8th. 9th. 10th. and 11th. under the thumb and four fingers
of the right hand.
The scales are formed by progressively opening the holes, beginning with the
little finger of the right hand."
The first hole 1 can also be smaller than the remainder as a resounding harmonic
to its octave, Fig. 4.
Keys are not necessary but they can be furnished and operated without
destroying the simplicity of this flute since by the independent use of the third
phalange of the first finger for the key H of the first hole, each key can remain
independent of the others (Fig. 5).
Lower or higher supplementary notes can be added as in other flutes, see Fig. 6,
by the use of keys as at K, L.
The mouth-piece is, as in other flutes, on the lateral side that is to say the
mouthpiece has the hole not in the centre of the pipe but on the side to preserve
the characteristic voice of a flute.
The useless part E, e, Fig. 2 by which flutes are closed at the top is removed.
Instead of a cork to close the upper extremity of the pipe it is closed with the
same material as the pipe is made of giving to this mouthpiece the form of the chin
against which it rests. It is adapted so as to enable the player to blow directly
instead of transversely.
By a circular formation of the interior of this mouth-piece the resounding
chamber is formed as at f, g, Fig. 7. The resistance to the blast of air is formed
by the re-entering angle Fig. 7.
The lateral parts are flattened a little to compensate for the larger volume of air
produced by the chamber i, k, Fig. 8.
The tube is bent a little to give to it an oblique direction as at l, m, Fig. 7.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a flute,
1. The mouth-piece as described and shown in Figs. 8, 9, 10.
2. The arrangements of the 11 holes by which the flute can be played without
keys, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and hereinbefore described.
3. The special arrangement of the first hole which comes under the third
phalange of the first finger in order to enable the 11 holes to be played by 10 fingers
and render the keys, if adapted, quite independent one of the other as shown
in Figs. 3 and 4 and hereinbefore described.
Dated this 24th day of March 1896.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.