IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Baillie Hamilton, George Edward Wade,
and Richard William Okes-Voysey, all of Greek Street, Soho, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.'
"
Sealed the 21st August 1875, and dated the 2nd June 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Baillie Hamilton,
George Edward Wade, and Richard William Okes-Voysey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the
2nd June 1875.
We, JAMES BAILLIE HAMILTON, GEORGE EDWARD WADE, and
RICHARD WILLIAM OKES-VOYSEY, all of Greek Street, Soho, in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be as
follows:-
The object of our Invention is to construct a musical instrument
which will produce tones of varied character, quality, and intensity, of

page_text: the nature of those of an organ including besides those already familiar
in organs other kinds of tones peculiar to this Invention. This object
is effected by the use of strings attached to free reeds on the plan
described in the Specification of Letters Patent, dated March 19th 1873,
No. 1008, and granted to Messrs. Farmer and Hamilton, and on the
plan of subsequent modifications and in the manner herein described,
and this instrument we propose to call a string organ.
In carrying out our Invention we use a bellows and wind reservoir for
the supply of wind necessary for our instrument, and also use a
keyboard or keyboards as commonly used together with other action
work and mechanical devices of organs, so well known that we need not
describe them in detail.
An organ usually consists of a collection of "stops" of different quality,
each stop consisting of a series of pipes affording notes of the same
quality, and in our organ we follow a similar classification denominating
any complete series of strings and reeds as a "stop" having a particular
quality. The reeds for our organ are either specially manufactured or
the ordinary harmonium reeds may be adopted in either case; the reed
has attached to it or rivetted to it near the tip a pin or like projection
by which it is to be connected to a string.
We make a reed box or registers similar to those used in harmoniums
and other analogous instruments, having partitions and channels for the
reeds, and are also able so to apportion them that their scale corresponds
to the scale of the keys, and therefore a series does not need the
extended space required for pipes in organs, nor do we need the
complicated action consequent thereon.
Various ways of arranging the series of reeds with a view to con-
nection with the series of strings besides those which we shall describe
are at option to be adopted, provided the simplification of action is kept
in view.
The strings for our organ are preferably of metal, though gut, silk,
and other materials may be used. The strings we strain in the manner
usual in pianofortes between two wrest planks or their equivalents, and
time them by means of tunning pins. Between these wrest planks and
framing we fix the soundboard in a suitable manner as in pianos, or we
adopt the system of the harp or that of the violin for the transmission

page_text: of vibrations, for we are not restricted to any particuliar form of sound-
boards or to any particular position.
Sometimes we find it convenient to use two soundboards, as the kind
of soundboard and the shape and position materially affect in our
instrument the qualities of the stops. In any case we leave sufficient
space at some position between the wrest planks to accommodate the
box containing the reeds, and the strings are placed at such intervals as
correspond to the pins of their respective reeds. To these pins the
strings are firmly connected in any convenient way, but for the sake of
accurate adjustment we find it useful to have the pin tapped, and to
effect the connection by means of buttons on the pin, so as tightly to
clip the string and yet to allow of alteration in the set of the rced
during voicing or whenever desirable at any moment.
The position of the reed in its length as regards the string may be
parallel, or when it is desirable to diminish the spaces between the
strings the position of the reeds may be transverse to the string.
The pallet action for this organ we construct on two systems, one in
which the pallets are placed within the reed chamber, the other in which
they are placed external to it for purposes to be herein-after stated.
This reed box or register is suitably furnished with valves for the.
admission of wind, and the strings are furnished with dampers after
ordinary methods.
The whole of this apparatus of reed box and reeds, wrest plank, frame,
strings, and soundboard constitutes a stop, it is complete in itself, and is
constructed so as to be capable of being detached at a moment's notice,
and may constitute an instrument by itself or be one stop of a larger
instrument. It is obvious that such a stop may be readily adapted to
existing organs by merely placing it over the keys or ends of the keys as
it corresponds to the scale thereof, and needs nothing more than
connection with the wind trunks of the organ to be a playable instru-
ment associated therewith as a stop of new quality. Such a stop may
also easily be combined with the structure of harmoniums, pianofortes,
and other keyed instruments.
In our organ we combine two or more of these stops in the following
manner, and are able to construct an instrument of great power and
variety in qualities of sound: -Our string organ is caused to sound by

page_text: "
the action of wind upon the free reeds, which communicate their
vibrations to the strings with which they are connected, which again
react and transmit vibrations to the soundboards. The wind is
conducted through trunks from a wind reservoir or bellows of the kind
usual in organs compressed by weights, and giving what is known as
"fixed" or steady wind." But from the nature of the vibration
common to strings and reeds which is isochronous, we are also able to
use in addition to the "equal pressure a "variable wind" from a
reservoir moved by springs, and we provide for this by an additional
reservoir with feeders capable of being blown by the feet of the player as
in harmoniums. We thereby obtain a swell upon our organ without
the necessity for enclosure in a Venetian swell. By suitable valve
action we also cut off the reservior, and are able to obtain absolute
expression from the movement of the foot so as perfectly to phrase
melodies on any stop whatever.
The advantage of being able to use these three varieties of wind for
organs obviously supplies capabilities long desired by the musician and
not possessed by organs composed of pipes; and further we liave the
advantage in the organ we construct of admitting or excluding either
kinds of wind by arrangement of stops and valves to either manual or
keyboard in use, and to any or all of the reed registers or stops, and the
player is able to play on any stop at option with perfect expression and
obligato, whilst the other stops in use are sounding in accompaniment
with only even or steady wind.
The general action of this organ may be of the kind usually com-
prehended under terms "squares, trackers, and backfalls," and for
simplicity, convenience, and economy we prefer to arrange our stops
in position one behind the other, and in such a manner that the
corresponding notes on either stop may be brought into play by one
movement of one tracker, the tracker having upon it small spurs,
saddles, or projections at suitable distances to engage the squares
connected with the pallets, so that the whole series in line of that tracker
will open simultaneously. When the organ by its magnitude requires
two or more manuals we then group these stops in series with sets of
trackers on different levels connecting these groups with their respective
manuals. The pedal organ is formed in a similar manner.
When any
other position than vertical is desired for the strings in order to suit the
exigencies of limited space, we adapt the action accordingly.

page_text: The qualities of stops in our string organ are obtained by varying the
relations of the reeds to the strings, as for instance, a given reed combined
with a small string will give a different quality to that resulting from
the same reed combined with a large string, and vice versa ; distinct
varieties of tone we also obtain by varying the position of the connection
of the reed and string, or by varying the shape of the air channels or the
construction and kind of sound board, or by the combined effect of any of
these devices.
As regards channels for the reeds, when the pallets are external and
close the channel, there is no further necessity for the isolation of the
reeds, but when the pallet is internal and precedes the reeds, then the
reed must be separated from the next, either by a partition or if the
reed block be hollow and the reed tongue be set inside, the framework of
the reed acts as the partition required. The partitions may be deepened
and extended so as to affect the quality of the note by reciprocating
masses of air, also so arranged as to reverse the wind action on the recd.
Percussion may also be easily adapted when required or if considered
desirable. We would observe that our improved organ with strings and
reeds may be built upon the principle of the American organ, in which
the reeds are acted upon by suction.
From the foregoing explanation of the construction of our "string
organ," it will be evident that we obtain many advantages over ordinary.
organs, having the power of forming "stops" which inasmuch as each stop
is complete within its own framework can be detached or be transferred
to another manual at the choice of the owner, and new stops may be
casily substituted without deranging the others, moreover that any
such stop or stops may be connected with the manuals or pedals of
any keyed instrument, whether organ, harmonium, American organ,
or pianoforte.