IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORNETS, TRUMPETS, HORNS, AND OTHER WIND INSTRUMENTS OF A LIKE NATURE
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Lauro Cecconi, of No. 12, Great Newport Street, in
the County of Middlesex, Band Master, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORNETS, TRUMPETS, HORNS, AND OTHER WIND
INSTRUMENTS OF A LIKE NATURE."
Sealed the 10th December 1858, and dated the 30th September 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Lauro Cecconi at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th September 1858.
I, LAURO CECCONI, of No. 12, Great Newport Street, in the County of
Middlesex, Band Master, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORNETS, TRUMPETS, HORNS, AND
OTHER WIND INSTRUMENTS OF A LIKE NATURE," to be as follows:-
Hitherto wind instruments of the nature of cornets, trumpets, and horns.
have been made with three and some with four and five pistons or cylinders to
produce the tones and semi-tones. In order to give extra facilities to produce
the tones and semi-tones, and to improve the intonation, and obtain other
advantages, I use six pistons or cylinders in the construction of instruments of
the above-mentioned nature; and I also use three pistons or cylinders on an.
improved arrangement; and by the use of these pistons or cylinders I am also
enabled to dispense with the use of the ordinary sliding tubes and crooks.
Also, separate or in combination with the above, I use certain improved
modes or mechanism for operating on the valves which regulate the notes, so
that a simpler and lighter action may be obtained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Lauro Cecconi in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
30th March 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LAURO
CECCONI, of No. 12, Great Newport Street, in the County of Middlesex, Band
Master, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Lauro Cecconi, Her special licence that I, the said Lauro Cecconi,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Lauro
Cecconi, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE CONSTRUCTION OF CORNETS, TRUMPETS, HORNS, AND OTHER WIND INSTRUMENTS
OF A LIKE NATURE," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Lauro Cecconi, 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 Lauro Cecconi, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is
to say:-
Hitherto wind instruments of the nature of cornets, trumpets, and horns
have been made with three, and some with four and five pistons or cylinders
to produce the tones and semitones, and even six cylinders or pistons have
been used, but for different objects than those attained by the Invention herein-
after described, and in a different manner.
First, in the construction of instruments of the above-mentioned nature, I
employ six pistons or cylinders, which act upon and in combination with six
side or branch tubes, adding successively to the main tube a length of tube

page_text: necessary to make the notes produce each a semi-tone lower than the preceding
one in a descending series from the note produced by the main tube in the
manner herein-after described,
This arrangement will at once be understood by a reference to the Drawings
which I desire to be taken as part of this Specification. Figure 1 represents
a Drawing of a complete instrument of the full size. A is the part of the
main tube, to which the mouthpiece is attached. The tube marked through-
out a is the main tube of the instrument; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are six cylinders
with the piston rods 1', 2', 3', 4', 5', and 61, which operate in their respective
cylinders on the well-known principle employed on cornet-à-pistons and like
instruments for the purpose of opening a communication from the main tube
to the side or branch tubes, and by the aid of any appropriate mechanism now
in use; but I prefer the use of one or other of the methods described in the
third part of my Invention. The piston rods 1', 2, and 3¹, are respectively
operated upon by the first, second, and third fingers of the right hand, and the
piston rods 41, 51, and 6¹, are respectively operated upon by the first, second,
and third fingers of the left hand, or reversed according to the convenience of
the player. By pressing the piston rod 1¹, and by the means of appropriate
mechanism at z, a communication is opened from the main tube a to the side
tube b, b, b, and thus the first half tone is produced. By pressing the piston
rod 2, and by means of appropriate mechanism at z¹, a communication is
opened from the main tube a to the side tube c, c, c, and thus the second full
tone is produced. By pressing the piston rod 3¹, and by means of appropriate
mechanism at 1, a communication is opened from the main tube a to the
side tube d, d, d, d, and thus a tone and a half is produced; and in a similar
manner by pressing the piston rod 4' a communication is opened from the
main tube a to the side tube e, e, e, and thus two whole tones are produced.
This tube is shown doubled over at e¹, e', to avoid the inconvenience of length.
By pressing on the piston rod 5' a communication is opened from the main
tube a to the side tube f, f, f, which may be doubled over in a similar manner, as
last described, should its length require it, and thus two whole tones and a half
are produced. By pressing on the piston rod 6¹ a communication is opened
from the main tube a to the side tube 9, 9, 9, which can also be doubled over
at g', g', if required, and thus three whole tones are produced. The lengths of
the several side or branch tubes must be regulated according to well-known
principles. Thus, with the above arrangement I produce the following chords,
as in the scale set out below. O stands for the main tube a unconnected with
the side or branch tubes 1', 21, 31, 41, 51, and 61, for the respective piston rods
above described, when they are respectively pressed down, and thus opening a

page_text: That is to say, by pressing down 1 and 6¹ together, I produce the fundamental
note F and its natural harmonics, as above shewn; and by pressing down 2¹
and 6 together, I produce the fundamental note E and its natural harmonics,
as above shewn; and by pressing down 41 and 6' together, I produce the funda-
mental note Eb and its natural harmonics, as above shewn; and by pressing
down 5 and 6¹ together, I produce the fundamental note D and its natural bar-
monics, as above shewn; and by pressing down 21, 5, and 6¹ together, I produce
the fundamental note Cor Db and their natural harmonics, as above shewn;
and by pressing down 41, 5', and 6' together, I produce the fundamental note
C and its natural harmonics, as above shewn. Again, by pressing down 6¹, by
which is given the fundamental note F, I am enabled to produce the half
tone or minor shakes with 1' in connection with all the harmonic notes above
referred to of this fundamental note; and if still pressing down 6¹ I shake
on 21, I similarly produce the whole tone or major shake in connection with
all the harmonic notes of this fundamental note. If I hold down 51, 41, or 31,
and shake with 1 or 2¹, I produce half tone and whole tone shakes in con-
nection with all the harmonics of these fundamental notes, as above shewn.
I use the combined fingering 4 and 61, as above shewn, when the notes
produced by this combination are required in arppeggio passages in the chords
of Eb, and thus difficult fingerings are avoided; and so also for the same
purpose I use the combined fingering 5 and 6, as above shewn, when the
notes produced by this combination are required in arppeggio passages in the
chords of D; and so again I use the combined fingering 21, 51, and 6', as above
shewn, when the notes produced by this combination are required in arppeggio
passages in the chords of Cor Db; and so again I use the combined
fingering 41, 51, and 6', as above shewn, when the notes produced by this
combination are required in arppeggio passages in chords of the low C. I
obtain the following advantages by my improvements, as above described :-
1, the means of executing with extraordinary facility passages and combina
tions of notes hitherto impracticable or extremely difficult of execution,
including arppeggio passages or chords and shakes minor and major in all the
keys or modes; 2, the means of correcting the well-known false intonation or
tuning of some of the notes upon cornets, trumpets, horns, and other wind

page_text: instruments of a like nature, and of tuning the whole instrument throughout
the entire scale, according to the system known as that of "equal tempera-
ment," which has not been attainable upon the class of instruments last above
mentioned, as hitherto made; 3, the doing away with the necessity of crooks
and tuning slides; 4, extending the compass of the instrument.
Second, I can vary the arrangement thus:-If the six side or branch tubes
be made to correspond with six half tones, and each of the pistons or cylinders
1, 2, 31, 41, 5, and 6¹ be made to operate in the manner before mentioned on
these half tone side tubes, then if 21 piston or cylinder be pressed down in
conjunction with 1', then a whole tone below the note of the main tube will
be produced; and if 3¹ be pressed down in conjunction with 1 and 2¹, one and
a half tone will be produced; if 4¹ be then pressed down, then two tones will
be produced; if 5¹ be then pressed down, two and a half tones will be pro-
duced; and if with the above 6¹ be pressed down, then the lowest of the series,
namely, three tones, will be produced. By this arrangement similar results as
to tuning the instrument according to the system of "equal temperament," as
in the last preceding arrangement described, avoiding also the necessity of
slides and crooks, while nearly the same advantages of facility of execution
will be attained.
The third part of my Invention (which I use either as applied to instru-
ments generally of the above description, or in combination with instruments
constructed on my improved principle above described,) consists of improved
applications of mechanism for operating on the valves which regulate the
notes, so that a simpler and lighter action may be obtained.
Figure 2 represents one of the cylinders with the piston rod which is
represented in Figure 1 at z 1 and 1' in elevation; Figure 3 represents the
piston rod and cylinder in section, with the spiral spring which goes into the
cylinder d, Figure 2. This rod is pierced at b, Figure 3, to receive a screw
where it joins into the link c, shewn in Figure 4 in plan and side view; this
link is pierced at c¹, Figure 4, and works on a screw in the crank d, Figure 2,
and shewn in Figure 5 at d¹. This crank works on a pivot which forms an axle
passing through the centre of the box z, which contains a spiral spring. The
spiral spring in the cylinder a, Figure 2, keeps the piston rod up. When the
piston rod is pressed down, a direct action is obtained by means of the link c
and the crank d (Figure 2), and on removing the pressure from the piston rod
its original position is regained, either by means of the counter action of the
spiral spring in the box z, or of the spiral spring in the cylinder a (Figure 2
or Figure 3); and by applying this apparatus to the instrument, as shewn in
Figure 1, 2, 1, 1, I am enabled to obtain in the method well understood by

page_text: I can also
manufacturers of instruments above mentioned, a communication between the
main and side tubes. My improvement in this respect consists in obtaining a
light action by means of the link and crank, as above described.
obtain a like result by a direct action, as shewn in Figure 6; d is the crank,
corresponding with the crank d of Figure 5 or Figure 2. At the foot of the
piston rod is a slot as at b, Figure 6, when d' is placed on 6 working on a
pivot or screw through d', then the crank d can be operated on in a manner
similar to that before described; the pivot through d' will play along the slot b,
allowing the vertical action of the rod to take place without obstruction.
Again, I can obtain the same result by substituting for the crank above
described a cog wheel, as shown at d, Figure 7, and on the foot of the piston
rod is a bar with corresponding cogs, and a similar action will be obtained.
Where a spiral spring is employed in the box z, the spiral spring in the
cylinder a, Figure 2, can be dispensed with; and in like manner when a
vertical spiral spring is used, as shewn in Figure 3, then the spiral spring in
the box may be dispensed with.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner it is to
be carried out, I wish it to be understood that I do not claim any of the parts
thereof, or separate mechanical arrangements, nor do I bind myself to adopt
the precise arrangement above described; but what I do claim is,―
1. The use of six cylinders or pistons, and a corresponding number of side
or branch tubes as applied to cornets, trumpets, horns, and other wind instru-
ments of a like nature, in the improved arrangement and in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before firstly and secondly described.
2. The several mechanical arrangements, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4, and
5, and 6 and 7, or either of them, whether in combination with instruments
constructed according to the improvement firstly and secondly herein-before
described, or whether applied to other cornets, trumpets, horns, and other
wind instruments of a like nature where pistons or cylinders are employed for
obtaining a communication between the main tube of the instrument with the
side or branch tubes.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lauro Cecconi, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-ninth day of March, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-nine.
LAURO CECCONI. (L.S.)