IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Carl Pieper, of Dresden, Saxony, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from Paul
Ehrlich, residing at Gollis, near Leipsic, Saxony.
Sealed the 17th April 1877, and dated the 23rd October 1876.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Carl Pieper at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd October 1876.
CARL PIEPER, of Dresden, Saxony. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
A communication from Paul Ehrlich, residing at Gohlis, near Leipsic, Saxony.
In musical instruments, as hand organs, music boxes, orchestrions, &c., the vibra-
tion of the different tones is obtained up to the present time by pegs or cams fixed
on a slowly turning cylinder, moving levers, which according to the kind of instru-
ment, in organs for instant, open valves and allow the wind to pass into the
corresponding pipes, in automatic pianos strike the strings, or in music boxes set the
oscillating tongues in direct vibration. This manner has the disadvantage that one
instrument can have but a very few pieces of music, as another series of cams
playing a different piece can be brought to operate only by a lateral shifting, which
is very limited. If, for instance, a common hand organ should play more than 4
or 5 pieces, a new cylinder would be necessary, the price of which is well known to
be very high.
I have imagined a device by which it is possible to play any number of pieces on
a mechanical instrument, as well as such that could not be chosen formerly on
account of their great length; also, the swelling and deadening (crescendo and
decrescendo) of sounds is effected in a very simple and easy way. The acquisition
of new music pieces is now connected to but trifling expense. The apparatus used
by ine for that purpose differs from the known devices mainly in the arrangement
of the cylinders and cams.
Instead of one cylinder I take two or more, and lead over them the music sheet
in form of an endless feeding cloth. This music sheet is cheaply manufactured of
strong paper or paper pasted on linen cloth; for better instruments, of thin sheet
metal, &c. The music sheet is in certain places provided with oblong or circular
holes, the form and place of which depends upon the kind of the music piece exactly
in the same way as the cams of the ordinary cylinders are fixed on determinate

page_text: points. At a large scale the music sheets are made by large punches in a cheap and
easy way, while the known cylinders must be made by hand. The number of
pieces in the machine becomes now unlimited, and the common hand organ hereby
looses the dreadful property of repeating the same 4 or 6 pieces again and again.
The action of the music sheets to produce the sounds is obtained in my apparatus
by the following means:-The noses of certain levers fall into the holes of the music
sheet when the latter moves on by the revolution of the cylinders.
When the outcut in the music sheet is a round one, the corresponding sound will
evidently be a short one; the hole of oblong form, the pipe remains open for a
longer period, and the sound will be lengthened; an outcut being narrow in the
beginning and widening more and more, allows the conical nose to enter at first but
slightly and to sink in deeper gradually, so as to open the pipe at first just a little
bit and give a weak tone, swelling out more and more to the strongest forte in pro-
portion to the widening of the outcut.
A softening of the sounds can be produced in the same way, only the holes must
be cut out so that the wider end is presented first to the noses of the play levers.
Further, it is possible to give the holes in the music sheet different widths, so that
several tones sounding simultaneously in an accord will be different in strength.
The valves opening the pipes are here represented lifting, and the pipe is opened
suddenly to some extent, so that the crescendo and decrescendo, according to the
above arrangement, is but of little eminence. In better instruments however the
valves will by any arrangement of levers be made sliding in the foot of the pipes, so
that the intonation of sounds will correspond exactly with the width of opening of
the valves. It is obvious therefore that music pieces may be played with all possible
tenderness and exactness.
A very important improvement of my construction consists in the cylinder being
provided with grooves on its circumference, so as to allow the noses to enter deeply
as far as the width of the outcut admits, and not only to give way to the thickness
of the paper.
The hercin-before described arrangement is especially intended for organs, har-
moniums, and instruments requiring wind; the application of my playing machine
on pianos will be described in the following:-
The playing machine can form by itself a fine piece of furniture, polished and
built in the same style as the piano; it may be placed at the side of the instrument,
and for use is rolled before it, so that the hammers are directly above the keys.
The noses of the play levers are not wedge-shaped in this case, but have the form
of steps, so that the hammer can strike the key but slightly when a narrow outcut
passes the nose, which falls quite through when a wide hole passes, and thereby pro-
duces a strong sound. Here the music sheet has only rectangular outcuts long and
short, according to the necessity of lengthening the tones.
The pedal may be moved by the foot of the player setting the mechanism in
motion by turning a crank, or by any other means; or the pedal may be connected
with the mechanism in any convenient way.
It is self-evident that this mechanism admits to play all kinds of pieces on an
instrument so much in fashion as the piano, and that the music sheet may be pro-
cured for little expense, nearly as cheap as the printed music book.
In applying the apparatus on instruments as music boxes, I provide the ends of
the vibrating tongues with hooks similar to the above-mentioned noses falling into
the holes of the music sheet, and thereby vibrating the tongues. The grooves of
the cylinder ought to be here of course very deep to allow a free oscillation.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by the
said Carl Pieper in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd April 1877.
CARI PIEPER, of Dresden, in the Kingdom of Saxony. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS." A communication from Paul Ehrlich, of Gohlis, near
Leipsic, Saxony.
In musical instruments, as hand organs, inusic boxes, orchestrions, etc., the vibra-
tion of the different tones is obtained up to the present time by pegs or cams fixed
on a slowly turning cylinder, moving levers, which according to the kind of instru-
ment, in organs for instance, open valves and allow the wind to pass into the
corresponding pipes, in automatic pianos strike the strings, or in music boxes set
the oscillating tongues in direct vibration. This manner has the disadvantage that
one instrument can have but a very few pieces of music, as another series of cams
playing a different piece can be brought to operate only by a lateral shifting, which
is very limited. If, for instance, a common hand organ should play more than 4
or 5 pieces, a new cylinder would be necessary, the price of which is well known to
be very high.
I have imagined a device by which it is possible to play any number of pieces
on a mecanical instrument, as well as such that could not be chosen formerly on
account of their great length; also, the swelling and deadening (crescendo and
decrescendo) of sounds is effected in a very simple and easy way. The acquisition of
new music picces is now connected to but trifling expense. The apparatus used by
me for that purpose differs from the known devices mainly in the arrangement of
the cylinders and cams, as the Drawing represents.
Instead of one cylinder I take two, A, B, or more, and lead over them the music
sheet C in form of an endless feeding cloth. This music sheet is cheaply manu-
factured of strong paper or paper pasted on linen cloth; for better instruments, of
thin sheet metal, etc. The music sheet is in certain places provided with oblong or
circular holes, the form and place of which depends, from the kind of the music
piece, exactly in the same way as the cams of the ordinary cylinders are fixed on
determinate points. At a large scale the music sheets are made by large punches
in a cheap and easy way, while the known cylinders must be made by hand. The
number of pieces in the machine becomes now unlimited, and the common hand
organ hereby looses the dreadful property of repeating the same 4-6 pieces again
and again.
The action of the music sheet to produce the sounds is obtained in my apparatus
by the following means:-The noses D of certain levers E, Fig. I., fall into the
holes of the music sheet when the latter moves on by the revolution of the cylinders
A and B.
When the outcut in the music sheet is a round one
the corresponding
pipe remains opened for a longer period, and the sound will be lengthened;
outcout being narrow in the beginning and widening more and more
an
_), allows the conical nose D to enter at first but slightly, and to
sink in deeper gradually, so as to open the pipe at first just a little bit and give a
weak tone, swelling out more and more to the strongest "forte" in proportion to
the widening of the outcut.
A saftening of the sounds can be produced in the same way, only the holes must
be cut out so that the wider end is presented first to the noses of the play levers.
Further, is it possible to give the holes in the music sheet different widths, so that
several tones sounding simultaneously in an accord will be different in strength.

page_text: The valves opening the pipes are here represented lifting, and the pipe is opened
suddenly to some extent, so that the crescendo and decrescendo, according to the
above arrangement, is but of little eminence. In better instruments however the
valves will by any arrangement of levers be tnade sliding in the foot of the pipe, so
that the intonation of the sounds will correspond exactly with the width of opening
of the valves. It is obvious therefore that music pieces may be played with all
possible tenderness and exactness.
A very important improvement of my construction consists in the cylinder A
being provided with grooves on its circumference, as Fig. I. shows, so as to allow the
noses D to enter deeply as far as the width of the outcut admits, and not only to
give way for the thickness of the paper.
The herein-before described arrangement is especially intended for organs, har-
moniums, and instruments requiring wind; the application of my playing machine
on piano is represented by Fig. II.
The playing machine can form by itself a fine piece of furnature, polished and
built in the same style as the piano; it may be placed at the side of the instrument,
and for use is rolled before it, so that the hammers F are directly above the keys.
The disposition of the cylinders A, B, the music sheet C, and the stretching
cylinder G will be seen direct from the Drawing. The noses D of the play levers
F, F, are not wedge-shaped in this case, but have the form of steps, as Fig. III.
shows clearly, so that the hammer can strike the key but slightly when a narrow
outcut passes before the nose, which falls quite through when a wide hole passes,
and thereby produces a strong sound. Here the music sheet has only rectangular
outcuts long and short according to the necessity of lengthening tones.
The pedal may be moved by the foot of the player setting the mechanism in
motion by turning a crank, or by any other means; or the pedal may be connected
with the mechanisme in any convenient way.
It is self-evident that this mechanisme admits to play all kinds of pieces on an
instrument so much in fashion as the piano, and that the music sheet may be pro-
cured for little expense, nearly as cheap as the printed music book.
In applying the apparatus on instruments as music boxes, I provide the ends of
the vibrating tongues with hooks similar the above-mentioned noses D, falling
into the holes of the music sheet, and thereby vibrating the tongues. The grooves
of the cylinder ought to be here of course very deep to allow a free oscillation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my Invention,
and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that I consider to be novel and original, and therefore
claim as my Invention,―
1. An endless sheet for actuating the note producing mechanisme of a musical
instrument, perforated with holes of ranging widths, as described and specified.
2. The endless perforated sheet in combination with the grooved carrying
cylinder.
3. The levers having conical or stepped noses in combination with the sheet per-
forated with holes of varying widths, as represented by the accompanying Sheet of
Drawing, and as it has been described in the foregoing Specification.
In witness whereof, I, the said Carl Pieper, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.
CARL PIEPER. (L.S.)