AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRACING MUSIC PLAYED ON THE PIANOFORTE, ORGAN, HARMONIUM, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, of Paris, in the
Republic of France, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRACING MUSIC PLAYED ON THE PIANOFORTE,
ORGAN, HARMONIUM, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexandre Amédée
Rossignol at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 4th April 1872.
☐ I, ALEXANDRE AMÉDÉE ROSSIGNOL, of Paris, in the Republic of
France, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRACING MUSIC PLAYED ON THE PIANO-
FORTE, ORGAN, HARMONIUM, AND OTHER ANALOGOUS MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to
be as follows, that is to say :-
"
This Invention consists in the arrangement or construction of an
apparatus for tracing musical notes and other signs when played, by
forming strokes of various lengths and in two colours, the duration of

page_text: the notes or other signs being indicated by the length of the stroke,
and their value by the position of the stroke, so as to permit of the
artist reading the piece which he has composed, and being enabled to
play it again or note it in the ordinary manner without depending on
his memory.
The apparatus consists of a spring motor which communicates with
the negative pole of a battery or other apparatus furnishing an electric
current, and which turns a metallic cylinder, over which a strip of
suitably prepared paper passes.
Iron or brass points which are isolated from one another and carried
by a wooden table rest on the paper parallel to the axis of the cylinder.
The brass points receiving a positive current from the battery trace in
red on the paper the lines of continuous length or the dotted lines.
The iron points for marking in blue, notes of music or other signs,
are put in communication with the positive pole by means of copper
wires fixed to springs placed under the keys of the keyboard, or to the
pedals, regulators, or other parts of the instrument to which this
improved apparatus is adapted.
The space between each line may be cut by blue lines corresponding
to the four half tones representing the natural notes and their half
tones.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 3rd October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEX- 2
ANDRE AMÉDÉE ROSSIGNOL, of Paris, in the Republic of France, Civil
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty- 3
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, Her special

page_text: licence that I, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexandre
Amédée Rossignol, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR TRACING MUSIC PLAYED ON THE
PIANOFORTE, ORGan, Harmonium, AND OTHER ANALOgous Musical Instruments,”
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexandre Amédée
Rossignol, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed
in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, do
hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing
hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is
to say :-
This Invention consists in the arrangement and construction of an
apparatus for tracing or writing notes and other signs of music as they
are played by forming strokes of various lengths and in two colours on
suitably prepared paper, the duration of the notes or other signs being
indicated by the length of the stroke, and their value by the position of
the stroke, so as to permit of the artist reading the piece which he has
composed, and being enabled to play it again or note it in the ordinary
manner without depending on his memory.
The apparatus consists of a spring motor which communicates with
the negative pole of a battery or other apparatus furnishing an electric
current, and which turns a metallic cylinder over which a strip of
suitably prepared paper passes.
Iron or brass points which are isolated from one another and carried
by a wooden table rest on the paper parallel to the axis of the cylinder.-.

page_text: The brass points receiving a positive current from the battery trace in
red colour on the paper the stave lines of continuous length or the
dotted lines. The iron points for marking in blue, notes of music or
other signs, are put in communication with the positive pole by means
of copper wires fixed to springs placed under the keys of the keyboard,
or to the pedals, regulators, or other parts of the instrument to which
this improved apparatus is applied.
.
The brass points receiving a positive current from the battery trace in
red colour on the paper the stave lines of continuous length or the
dotted lines. The iron points for marking in blue, notes of music or
other signs, are put in communication with the positive pole by means
of copper wires fixed to springs placed under the keys of the keyboard,
or to the pedals, regulators, or other parts of the instrument to which
this improved apparatus is applied.
The space
between each line may be cut by blue lines corresponding
to the four half tones representing the natural notes and their half
tones.
To make my Invention better understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1
represents a section of my improved apparatus.
The apparatus consists of a battery or other apparatus (not shown in
the Drawing) supplying an electric current, of a roller P, p, covered
with prepared paper, by preference a paper similar to that used with
Caselli's telegraphic apparatus, and of a roller C, over which passes the
said paper for receiving the contact of the blades or points L; it is
supported by the roller c and passes out at the front of the apparatus.
The brass and iron points L, Figures 1 and 1ª, are soldered to wires f, 2
and separated from one another by the teeth of two combs; & is a bar
on which the said blades rest, but which may be dispensed with.
The stave lines are continuous, as shewn in Figure 5, and the supple-
mentary lines are dotted.
On the axis of one of the spring motive wheels employed for putting 2
the paper in motion is an isolating disc D, Figure 2, having a metallic
crown provided with pins g, g, which put an isolated spring 1 in
alternate communication with two other isolated springs 2 and 3,
directing the current in the groups, as shewn in Figure 5.
A knob M, Figure 3, serves to open and close the circuit of the 3
battery by means of a bar t, pressing a spring p, communicating with
the negative pole of the battery, when its extremity liberates the stop
rod x fixed on one of the last wheels of the spring motor.
Figure 4 shews the position of the parts placed under the keyboard.
A small plate P extends the whole length of the keyboard. A metallic 3

page_text: bar B communicating with the positive pole of the battery, and moveable
in the direction of its length, carries as many points a as there, are
springs R. The key in descending presses the spring R on the point a,
or in the intervening space, between the two points, according to the
position of the bar B. In Figure 4* the spring R' is shewn held above
the point a on which it rests so soon as it is no longer supported by the
part H.
The herein-before described arrangement may be varied according to
the kind of instrument played upon.
A pedal suitably arranged is made to correspond with two wires m, m,
Figure 5, so that all that is then necessary for the executant to do is to
beat time with his foot on the said pedal, and the passing current will
determine the marking point above and underneath the red lines.
The wire which conducts the current to the points tracing the red
stave lines passes into an electro-magnet with fine wires. The current
then becomes weaker and the lines produced by decomposition in the
prepared paper under the action of this current are only just visible.
This electro-magnet is provided with a bell arrangement which is made
to ring only when the paper is torn or the supply fails. The current
which has up to this time been impeded by the paper passes directly
into the roller and sets the bell in action.
The apparatus is enclosed in a box in the front of which an opening
is made for the egress of the paper; an inclined plane d, Figure 1, guides
it out.
It will be understood that the current passing through the paper only
when the keys, registers, pedals, or other like mechanism are put in
motion, and during the whole time of their action the decomposition
of the substance with which the paper is impregnated, and consequently
the production of a blue line will only take place on a travel corre-
sponding with the duration of a note or other sign, whilst the stave
lines are continuously produced.
Figure 5 shews the stave lines for the keys of Sol and Fa, as also the
intermediate lines, the shorter lines representing the position of the
notes and other signs.
Having now described my Invention and the manner of carrying the
same into effect, what I claim is, the improved apparatus for tracing

page_text: music as herein-before described and represented in the accompanying
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexandre Amédée Rossignol, have
hereto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of September, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
two.
A. A. ROSSIGNOL. (L.S.)