A New or Improved System of Musical Notation.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 14th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 11th Apr., 1895-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
A New or Improved System of Musical Notation.
I, WILLIAM SHARPEY SEATON, of No. 57 Old Broad Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
According to my invention the stave or staff on which the various notes are
represented consists of a single series of equidistant parallel lines ruled horizontally
in lien of the two distinct staves or staffs, one for the treble and the other for the
bass, as now generally in use.
I preferably employ nineteen of such lines and I find it convenient to have
certain of them thicker than the others and I may employ three degrees of
thickness.
When nineteen lines are employed, the middle line of the stave or staff and
the sixth line above and below it may be of the first or thickest degree. The
third and ninth lines on either side of the middle line may be of the second or
medium degree, and the remaining twelve lines faint.
say,
The middle line of the stave or staff so formed represents a predetermined note,
the middle key of the keyboard of a pianoforte. The nine lines on either
side of the middle line represent the nine tones above and below it. The ten
spaces above and below respectively represent the semitones.
Upon these lines and spaces the middle note and the nineteen notes on either
side of it are represented. The notes beyond the thirty-nine middle ones, either
above or below them, are represented either one octave or two octaves below or
above their true position but indication is given that they have to be played higher
or lower if one octave by making the note square instead of round, and if two
octaves by making the note square and adding the sign 8va or a zig-zag line above
or below the note or notes in question or by equivalent devices.
Notes to be played with the right hand are represented with their tails turned
upwards; those to be played with the left hand with their tails turned downwards.
Semibreves may have arrows through them pointing either upwards or downwards
to indicate the hand with which they are to be played.
When a third part or intermediate air or voice has to be represented the notes
may be made triangular, the direction of the apex indicating the hand with which
the note is to be played.
In other respects the forms of notation used in connection with the existent
stave or staff as also the other indications of time, execution, and the like may be
used in conjunction with my above described system.
Ded this wash dar of T.,l., 1901
A. F. SPOONER,
124, Chancery Lane, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: A New or Improved System of Musical Notation.
1, WILLIAM SHARPEY SEATON, of No. 57+ Old Broad Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to musical notation and has for its object to simplify and
improve upon the method now generally in use.
My improved system indicates directly the absolute pitch of each note so that
the hand or voice may proceed to sound the same without having to make a
calculation involving clef, key-signature and accidentals; it shows at a glance the
relation between notes, as the vertical distances between them on the sheet of
music are exactly proportional to the musical intervals themselves; it represents
corresponding notes in successive octaves in corresponding positions on the music-
sheet, and not in various positions and alternately as a line and a space as in the
system now in general use; it enables a fac-simile of the characters of the notes
as shown on the music-sheet to be indicated on the keys of the instrument; it
affords relief to the eye and provides for the keeping of the separate parts distinct
from each other in multiple-part music, and possesses other advantages hereinafter
indicated.
In the accompanying drawings.-
Figure 1 illustrates at its upper part my improved method of representing each
note within the compass, for instance, of an ordinary piano, while the lower part of
the figure represents the corresponding keys of the instrument.
Figure 1 shows corresponding positions of each note of the same name in each
of the seven octaves of a piano keyboard as represented on the stave or staff in
accordance with my method.
Figure 1 illustrates my improved notation as adapted to the existing nomen-
clature.
Figure 2 is a passage of music written in accordance with my method.
Figure 2 is the same passage written in accordance with the method now in
use, and
Figures 3, 4 5 and 6 are matters of detail hereinafter more particularly
referred to.
According to my invention the stave or staff on which the various notes are
represented consists of a single series of equidistant parallel lines A ruled
horizontally in lieu of the two distinct staves or staffs, one for the treble and the
other for the bass, as now generally in use.
I preferably employ nineteen of such lines some of which may, for the sake of
distinction, be thicker than others but I generally prefer, as shown in the drawings,
to have, out of the nineteen lines, four continuous, as shown at a, and three broken,
as shown at b, the remaining twelve intermediate oues being of the same character
as the ledger lines which are used in the ordinary notation. The three broken
lines bare drawn midway between the four continuous ones and the ledger lines
are inserted between the continuous and the broken ones wherever notes occur
which require them. This last described method is advantageous as it secures a
clearer and less monotonous back-ground and otherwise relieves the eye.
...The great stave thus formed serves to represent the thirty-six notes in the three
octaves extending from the note A the bottom space of the bass clef to G-sharp
the first space above the treble clef in the ordinary notation. I may find it con-
venient to bracket the great stave off into three sections as shown in the drawings
at T, C, B meaning "treble"
"
common and "bass"; or it might be "
treble " +6
"treble "and":
upper
common or "common
bass
and "lower bass." The
"
"

page_text: said thirty-six notes are thus represented on the great stave at vertical distances
from each other proportional to the number of semi-tones between them and the
upper and lower notes on either side of them are sometinies represented either one
octave or two octaves below or above their true position but in such case indication
is given that they have to be played higher or lower. This may be done in any
suitable way. For instance if a treble note is to be played one octave higher or
a bass note one octave lower than its indicated position on the stave, the note may
be diamond-shaped as shown in the drawings instead of being in the usual circular
or oval form, and the tail of the note may be on the left-hand side instead of the
right-hand side; if there is intended to be a difference of two octaves between
the actual and true position, then the note may be triangular. If it be considered
necessary, one or two sinuous lines as shown at c in Figure 2 may be added over
the diamond and triangular shaped notes respectively in the same way as the sign
8va is commonly used; or I sometimes employ ledger notes as shown at din
Figure 2 in which case I place the tail of the diamond-shaped note on the right-hand
side and that of a triangular note on the left-hand side.
When only two distinct parts have to be represented on the same great stave I
make the tails of the notes forming the upper part point vertically upward and
those of the lower part vertically downward as shown in Figure 3.
When one or
more intermediate parts have to be kept distinct from the highest and lowest parts
1 sometimes employ tails inclined at an angle of say 60° to the horizontal lines as
shown in Figure 4 and at other times I find it more convenient to dispense with
tails for the notes of an intermediate part, in which case I represent a minim as
two tied crotchets or as four tied quavers or as eight tied semi-quavers according
as the crotchet, quaver or semi-quaver may be the shortest note used in the passage
in question as shown in Figure 5.
Since each of the twelve notes in an octave has, in accordance with my system
of what may be termed "semitonic notation," its one definite position there is no
need for key-signatures nor for the signs "double flat" "Hat "natural" "sharp"
or "double-sharp" in ordinary use so far as playing alone is concerned; but when
it is desired that a piece of music in ny semitonic notation should be read in the
old nomenclature these signs are inserted as shown in Figure 6 to enable the reader
to distinguish between, say, D-sharp, E-flat, and F-double flat, all of which are
sounded by the same key on the piano and all of which are correspondingly shown
on the same line in my semitonic notation. Signs of inflection in semitonic
notation do not affect the note to be played but only indicate the name by which
it is called in the notation which is at present in general use.
In teaching my said system I may either mark the keys of the instrument each
with its proper note as represented on the music-sheet or I may find it convenient
to cut and fold a strip of cardboard, paper or other material so as to stand on, or
immediately above, the keyboard, such strip bearing the character representing
each note marked on that part of it immediately over the corresponding key of the
instrument.
In other respects the forms of notation used in connection with the existent
stave as also the other indications of time, execution and the like may be used in
conjunction with my above described system.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A system of musical notation wherein the notes are represented on the music-
sheet in positions relatively to one another such that the vertical distances between
their positions are exactly proportional to the musical intervals between them.
2. In a system of semitonic notation, a great stave consisting of one set of
equidistant parallel lines preferably of varying thicknesses or some being con-
tinuous, others broken, and the remainder of the same character as ledger lines,
substantially as set forth.

page_text: 3. In combination with a system of semitonic notation, the representation on
the keys of the instrument of the character by which they are designated on the
music-sheet.
4. In a system of semitonic notation, the representation of two or more musical
parts on the one great stave combined with means for distinguishing each part
substantially as set forth.
5. In a system of musical notation, forming the notes diamond-shaped, triangular,
or of similar distinguishing conformation for the purpose of indicating the
difference between their represented and actual positions substantially as set
forth.
6. My new or improved system of musical notation substantially as set forth
and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 11th day of April 1895
A. F. SPOONER,
124, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agent for the Applicant.