A New System of Notation for Instrumental or Vocal Music.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 1st July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New System of Notation for Instrumental or Vocal Music.
I, JAMES MACKENZIE, of St. Mary's Terrace, Whitley in the County of
Northumberland, Professor of Music, 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, which I propose to call "The MacKenzie perfect system of
notation," relates to a new and easy notation for teaching music, both vocal and
instrumental, by fixing the letters of the alphabet indicating the notes from A to G
in spaces, by grouping five lines in twos and threes alternately, the lines showing
when a note is to be raised or lowered, by signs used upon them the same sign being
used for both sharpening and flattening all notes as shewn on Fig. 1. for a sharp
and as shewn on Fig. 1A for a flat.
The first thing to be observed in this notation is the group of two lines, the space
between which will always give the note D wherever these lines appear, however
high or low, with the note C below and E above them.-See Figure 1B on
accompanying sheet of drawings. Next the group of three lines will always have
the note G in the first space and A. in the second with F below them and B above,
see Figure 2; it will thus be seen by Figure 3 shewing the two groups that these
give all the music alphabet. Either three and two or two and three lines can be
used as required and as many groups as necessary to suit either the voice or the
particular instrument, the clefs shewing the pitch.
I use one clef (but in three different ways which will be known by the small
letter inside) to fix the pitch of the notes. The name of this clef is C and I place
the letter M inside of it, as shewn by Fig. 3ª, and call it middle C clef which is in
the middle of the piano-forte, this clef will be placed below the two lines in the
middle of the great stave. The second form of the clef I write with the letter S
inside of C (see Fig. 3B) and call it the soprano clef, placing it an octave higher
than middle C clef, and the third form of the clef I write with the letter B inside
of C (see Fig. 3) calling it the bass clef and place it an octave lower than
middle C clef.
Figures 4, 5 and 6 shew the staves in my notation. Figure 4 shews the bass
with three, two and three lines. Figures 5 and 6 shew the soprano in two forms,
the first form having two, three and two lines and the second, which is adapted for
instruments which have a high pitch such as the flute &c., with three, two aud
three lines.
The great stave shewing both the old and my new notations, with the black keys
of the piano forte key-board at the side in my system, are shewn by Figures 7 and 8.
The C clef is shewn on the stave according to my system in its three forms
Figs: 34 3B and 3º.
Figures 9 and 10 shew the tenor in two forms like the soprano. The first form
will have the bass clef under its two lines with three lines above and the middle clef
two lines above them. The second form will have the middle clef under the two
lines, with three lines under and three lines above,
The great defect of the present system in writing music is that it does not show
the tones and semitones all being written at an equal distance, see Figure 11, but
by my system these tones are shewn where there is a line between two small spaces,
éach note occupying a separate space, the semi tones being shewn by the division
of the groups of lines both notes occupying one space, see Figure 12.
It will be observed from Figure 13 that the white keys of the piano forte, being
represented by the spaces, the division of the grouping of the lines will always shew

page_text: the semi tones E and F between the two lines and the three lines, and B and C
between the three lines and the two lines, and it will be seen from Figure 14 that
the lines bearing sharps and flats agree with the black keys of the piano forte. The
sharps and flats being always upon the lines except when the semi tones occur on
E and F or on B and C in which case they come in the spaces.
I purpose placing for the natural key signatures, certain marks having the names
of the keys inside, referring to Figure 15 on Sheet 1. No. 1 shews the natural key
of C signature and so on. For the sharp key signatures No. 2 shews the
key of F sharp and No. 3 the key of D flat and so on, for minor keys when natural.
No. 4 will be key C minor and so on for natural minor keys. For sharp keys upon
a line No. 5 will be key C sharp minor and so on. And for flat keys No. 6 will be
key A flat minor and so on, so doing away with the present signs of sharps, flats
and naturals.
When I wish to express the letters of the alphabet signifying notes I will write
them in capitals thus:-C. D. E. F. G. A. B. and when they are to be sharpened
I draw a line through the letter, from the left hand at the bottom to the right hand
at the top, see Figure 16, and when flat I draw a line from the top left hand to the
bottom right hand-see Figure 17 and to shew the natural minor keys the letters
will lean to the right as shewn by Fig. 17ª and when they are to be sharp or flat
the line to be drawn through the letters as in the previous examples.
Figure 18 shews a table illustrating the value of notes also shewing the shapes of
the double sharps and flats.
On Figures 19 and 20 Sheet 2 I have shewn the first four bars or measures of the
Hallelujah Chorus, from Handels Messiah arranged by C. Czerny for the piano
forte, shewing as a comparison both the old system of notation and my new
system.
Figure 21 is an illustration of the piano forte key board, shewing seven octaves,
and the grouping of lines corresponding with the black keys. Here is shewn my
system of indicating the C clef in seven forms for the various octaves.
It will be observed that when B is sharp it takes the place of C but with my new
sharp sign and when E is sharp it takes the place of F.
When C is flat it takes the place of B, with my new flat sign, and when F is flat
it takes the place of E, with the flat sign.
On middle C octave I have indicated the double sharps and the double flats of
each note also shewing the old notation signs.
On this octave I also indicate the names used in singing from "Sol-fa."
On all the octaves the indication of sharps and flats is shewn for all the letters of
the musical alphabet.
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 :
First: The arrangement of the stave in groups of lines-2 or 3 in each group--
using any required number of groups, the natural notes C. D. E. F. G. A. B.
always being between the lines.
Second: The indication of sharps and flats by graphic note signs as shewn by
Figs. 1 and 14 upon the stave lines or between the groups of lines, and of double
sharps and double flats by graphic note signs as shewn by the drawings.
Third The indication of the C clef in the three forms Figs. 3º, 34 and 3B upon
the great stave and in modified forms for tenor, bass and also the 7 octaves of the
piano forte.
Fourth: The indication of key signatures by the signs shewn on Figure 15,
Sheet 1 of the drawings viz.: natural, sharp and flat keys, minor and major and the
indication of sharps and flats upon the letters of the musical alphabet by the use of
diagonal lines from left to right or vice versa.
Fifth The indication of semi-tones in the key of C in the spaces between the
groups of lines of the stave and the two notes-forming a tone-in separate spaces

page_text: or from line to line of 2 groups-forming a tone and half-and indicating the semi-
tones, in any other key required, from the natural note to the line or from the line
to the natural note.
:
Sixth The new system of musical notation consisting of the arrangement of the
stave in groups of 2 and 3 lines, the natural notes C. D. E. F. G. A. B. being
always between the lines, except when sharp or flat, combined with the indication of
sharps and flats and of double sharps and flats by graphic note signs upon the lines
or between the groups of lines, and with indication of the C clef in three forms
together with the key signatures, and the drawing of a line through the musical
alphabet from left to right, or vice versa, when a note is to be sharpened or flatened,
and the indication of semi-tones in the spaces between the groups of lines of the
stave, and the tones between or upon the lines of the groups or from the natural
note to the line or vice versa all as previously herein described and shewn by the
drawings.
Dated this 20th day of Anril 1802
T. J. DANSON, F. Inst. P.A.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agent for Applicant.
T. J. DANSON, F. Inst. P.A.,
Chartered Patent Agent,
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agent for Applicant.