A NEW OR IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OF THE KEYS OR. MANUALS OF ORGANS, HARMONIUMS, PIANOS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1875

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by Alexander Montgomery at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th September 1875.
I, ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY, junior, of Campbeltown, in the County
of Argyll, North Britain, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention of "A NEW OR IMPROVED ARRANGEMENT OF THE KEYS OR. MANUALS
OF ORGANS, HARMONIUMS, PIANOS, AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS,” to be as
follows, that is to say :-
This Invention which relates to a new or improved arrangement of
the keys or manuals of organs, harmoniums, pianos, concertinas,.
harmonicons, accordians, and of such other musical instruments as are.
played or sounded by the musician operating on a keyboard, has for its
object to effect greater simplicity in the arrangement of such keys or
manuals, and to afford greater facility for playing on instruments of the
class above referred to.
In arranging the keyboard according to this Invention a set of keys
running two octaves from left to right are provided for each hand. The

page_text: octaves of each of the respective notes or keys running from left to right
are placed immediately before or behind. The direction in which the
ascending or descending octaves run, being at right angles to the
position formerly adopted, and-also-at-right-angles-to-those-running
from left to right. The keys performed on by each hand may start
from the centre, the keys of the one hand ascending from left to right,
or vice versa, whilst the keys of the other hand descend from left to
right, or vice versa.
Any desired number of octaves may be provided on this principle, it
being understood that a set of the notes within two octaves running
from left to right are provided for each hand in every octave employed.
According to this arrangement of the keys in the under or interior keys
of the instrument, the keys would be unworkable by the fingers (especially
on the just instrument); but this is obviated by means of a movable
keyboard for each hand with keys reaching down to the lower or under
keys, which upper keyboard may be moved right or left according to
the key or pitch on which the musician desires to perform, the arrange-
ment of the upper board being precisely the same with this difference,
viz., that only the notes within one octave run from left to right,
all the octaves of course being placed immediately before or behind
the respective notes or keys of which they are the octaves. It may
be explained that the keys wrought upon by the fingers are necessarily
small with a space between each. key running from left to right
so as to admit of the finger pressing down each key singly, whilst
those-running-at-right-angles to them are in continuous lines; provision
may be made at option for pressing octaves more effectively at one
touch by means of a small covering in shape like a key of the instrument
at the innation of the notares.
The keys of the instrument may rise or fall in height according to the
length of the fingers, and may be made according to the size of the
hand.
The new or improved arrangement of the keys or manuals herein-
before described is applicable to keyed instruments of the class
mentioned, whether such are constructed on the just or on the tempered
principle. It being held optional in the tempered instrument to arrange
the internal or under keys on the same principle as the upper keyboard,

page_text: and further that in the internal or external arrangement of keys the
instrument may be provided with the single or double scale from right
to left in any octave desired, and the same may be arranged in an
upright, horizontal, or other position, as the nature of the instrument
may require.