IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS, SERAPHINES, AND OTHER SIMILAR WIND INSTRUMENTS, AND ALSO IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1852

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, HENRY
JOHN GAUNTLETT, of Charlotte Street, Portland Place, in the County of
Middlesex, Doctor in Music, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of July, in the sixteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Henry John Gauntlett, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Henry John Gauntlett, my exors, admors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Henry John Gauntlett, my exors,
admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time
to time and at all times during the term of years therein mentioned, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales,
and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN ORGANS, SERAPHINES, AND OTHER SIMILAR WIND INSTRUMENTS, AND ALSO
IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," being partly a communication from abroad; in
which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Henry
John Gauntlett, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particu-
larly to describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Ifer
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and
by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Henry John Gauntlett, do hereby declare that the nature of the said

page_text: Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say) :-
This Invention has reference,―
Firstly, to a mode of simplifying the construction of finger and pedal organs
by avoiding the necessity for the complete mechanism heretofore required for
transmitting the movement of the keys or the pedals of organs to the pallets
or valves which admit the wind from the wind chest to the various organ
pipes. In carrying out this part of my Invention I establish an electric circuit
between the pallets, and the keys and pedals respectively, and by transmitting
an electric current on the depression of a key to a bar of soft iron (forming a
temporary magnet) in connection with the pallet which is required to be
opened, a sufficient motive power is obtained to open the pallet or valve, and
produce the note required to be sounded without the intervention of rollers,
backfalls, squares, &c. at present used. By this means I also avoid the deep
fall of the key, and the heavy pressure therefrom, characteristics which render
the organ difficult to play, and are unfavourable to perfection of mechanism
and expression in the handling and execution of rapid and difficult music.
The arrangement of the apparatus for conveying and applying the electric
current may be varied as circumstances may require, and the electric current
itself may be either voltaic, galvanic, magneto-electric, induced-magnetic, or
thermo-electric.
This means of communicating motion to parts of organs I also propose to
apply for drawing and shutting off the stops, for coupling them with any two
or more of the key-boards, or with the pedals, throwing them out of connec-
tion, and likewise for working the shutters of the swell box, and by this
means I avoid the necessity for the use of the complex mechanism heretofore
employed for effecting these several objects.
The Invention refers, secondly, to the opening of the valves or pallets of
self-acting or barrel organs, seraphines, and other free-reed instruments, and
also to the striking of the hammers of pianofortes (without the intervention of
keys) in connection with the pallets or hammers. This action is effected by
causing the notation (whether it be metal pins or other known means that are
used) as it is brought forward to bring the magnet of the valve or hammer
which is to be acted upon within the electric circuit, and thereby to cause the
valve to open and admit wind into its pipe, or the hammer to strike upon its
string, and produce the note required.

page_text: I will now describe the mode of carrying out the first part of my Invention.
In Sheet I. of the accompanying Drawings, Fig. 1 shews, in elevation, one
mode of connecting the keys with. the valves of the wind chest. Under the
keys of the key-board, and running from end to end thereof, is placed a bar of
metal a, connected by means of a copper wire with one pole of the battery.
Every key is provided, as at b, b, with a pin c, which passes through it and
projects downwards, for the purpose of making contact with the bar a. The
lower end of the small spiral spring d, pendent from a fixed bar e, is attached
to this pin c, and answers the double purpose of conducting the current, and of
returning the key from its depressed to its elevated position. From this spring
a wire passes to one end of an electro-magnet g placed in the wind chest, so
as to command the valve or pallet answering to the note which the key is
intended to sound. The wire from the other end of the magnet g is connected
with the return wire h for all the magnets. An armature i, of soft iron or
other metal capable of magnetic induction, is fixed on the valve k in the wind
chest, near to the magnet. When, therefore, the player depresses the key b,
the pin which passes through the key makes contact with the bar beneath,
and allows the current to pass from the battery to the magnet g, which,
attracting the armature on the valve k, opens that valve, and allows the wind
to blow into the pipe immediately above it, and so long as the key is held
down by the performer the valve will remain open. On the rising of the key
the contact is broken, and the valve closes by means of an ordinary spring.
It will now be understood, that the pallets or valves of each wind chest are
severally connected with the keys of their respective key-boards; when, there-
fore, for example, the key C of the choir organ is depressed, all the pipes in
the same range whose stops are drawn will be caused to speak. In order to
effect the drawing and the shutting off of the stops I provide an arrangement
of parts very similar to that already described for opening the valves; but that
a sufficient length of motion to the sliders may be obtained, so as fairly to
open and cut off the communication of the pipes with their wind chests, I
prefer to mount the armature on the short limb of a crank lever, while I
connect the long limb to the slider, by which means the slight movement of
the shorter limb, when drawn into contact with the electro-magnet, will cause
the longer limb to move through any given distance, and traverse the slider
sufficiently far to draw or shut off the stop or group of pipes which it com-
mands. The circuit in this instance may be completed by the depression of
a key or any analogous contrivance; but it should be understood, that as
the sliders are required to be drawn and returned to their former position,

page_text: it will be convenient to have a duplicate arrangement of electro-magnets and
armatures for each slider.
I will now describe the manner in which I bring the full organ under the
command of one set of keys.
Fig. 2 is a cross section of the great organ key-board; Fig. 3 is a view of
the under side of one of the keys; and Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the
arrangement below the keys for conducting the electric currents from the
batteries to the several sets of electro-magnets. In these Figures a, a, are
the keys carrying at their under side metal pins b, b, equal in number to the
organs which the instrument contains (in this case four are shewn). Below
the keys are four metal bars c, c, connected respectively to the batteries which
are provided for working the several organs. A metallic connection is
established between the pins 6, b, of each key and a metallic cord d by four
metallic springs e, e, which answer the same purpose as the coiled spring in
the former arrangement.
This cord d is composed of a corresponding
number of insulated strands or wires which lead off to the several organs,
and are connected to electro-magnets which severally command the same
note in the octave, and are intended on the depression of the key to sound
that note simultaneously. It will now be understood that so long as the
connection between the bars c, c, and their batteries is maintained, the
depression of the key will complete four electric circuits simultaneously, and,
supposing the batteries to be in action, the result already explained with
reference to Fig. 1 will be obtained in each organ. I may here remark, that
the pedal board may be fitted with a like arrangement, if thought desirable,
so as to bring any or all of the organs under the command of the pedals.
As the application of this part of the Invention to finger seraphines and other
free-reed instruments is similar to that just described with reference to organs,
no further explanation on that head will be requisite. To allow of the gradual
opening of the shutters of the swell box I hang the shutters so that they may
act independently of each other, and in place of the ordinary lever worked by
the foot, I bring an electro-magnet placed in connection with each shutter,
then by means of studs in or near the key slips (or in any other convenient
position), or by the depression of a key or pedal, I complete the circuit of the
battery through one or more electro-magnets, and open one or more shutters
at pleasure, whereby I obtain a much slower and more gradual crescendo than
by the ordinary swell arrangement. The electro magnets and armatures may
be worked in conjunction with the apparatus known as the pneumatic lever,
the valve in that case being opened in a manner similar to those already.

page_text: described. I would remark, that in place of the armature being fixed on the
valve, the electro-magnet may be affixed to the valve and the armature placed
within the wind chest beneath. This position would be the reverse of the one
above described. In case more than one battery is used for the same organ,
the conducting surface a (Fig. 1) under the key-board of that organ must
not be continuous, but must be composed of as many pieces as there are.
batteries.
In Sheet II. of the Drawings the mode of carrying out the second part of:
my Invention is shewn. Fig. 1 is a partial sectional elevation, and Fig. 2 a
plan view of a barrel organ which is intended to be worked by electric currents..
a, a, is a metal barrel fitted with pins or metallic projections in the manner
common to barrel organs, and it is connected through its shaft or otherwise with
one pole of a battery. The other pole of this battery is connected by means of
wires with one end of a series of electro-magnets b, which are situated as in
the former arrangement in the wind chest, and are intended to open their.
respective valves c (Fig. 1), which are placed immediately above them. A
wire from the other end of each magnet leads to a narrow strip of metal or
a metallic spring d set over the barrel, and in a line with one of the rings of
pins or projections with which the periphery of the barrel is fitted; when,
therefore, by the revolution of the barrel a pin is brought into contact with a
spring d, a metallic circuit is completed, and the magnet in that circuit will
draw down its pallet or valve and sound the note which corresponds thereto..
It will be understood that pegged boards or other analogous contrivances
may be employed in lieu of the barrel, and that a precisely similar arrange-
ment to that above described may be applied to seraphines and other free-reed
instruments.
Fig. 3 shews a similar arrangement of magnetic apparatus applied to
actuate the hammers of a pianoforte. In this Figure a, a, is a metallic
barrel properly fitted with metallic projections answering to certain tunes
required to be played. A copper wire leads from this barrel to one pole of a
battery, while the other pole of the battery is connected to a series of electro-
magnets b, which, as in the former arrangement, are severally connected to a
spring bar d that rides over its ring of pins on the barrel as the barrel revolves.
Beneath each magnet is a lever e, which carries an armature and also a hopper
f, for throwing the hammer into contact with the springs of the instrument.
A current of electricity being passed through the coils of the magnet on the
completion of the circuit, the lever e will be suddenly raised, and the hopper
will thereby be made to throw up the lifting rod g, and cause the hammer h to
strike the note required.

page_text: Having now described this Invention of "Improvements in Organs, Sera-
phines, and other similar Wind Instruments, and also Improvements in
Pianofortes," I wish it to be understood that I claim as of my improvements in
finger and pedal organs, seraphines, and other similar wind instruments,--
First, the means herein described or any mere modification thereof for
transmitting the movements of the keys and pedals to the valves or pallets
whereby the use of stickers, backfalls, squares, trackers, and rollers is
avoided.
Secondly, I claim the means herein described or any mere modification
thereof for drawing and shutting off the stops, and for opening the shutters of
the swell box.
Thirdly, I claim the means herein described or any mere modification
thereof for opening the valves of barrel or self-acting organs, seraphines,
and other free-reed instruments, and for throwing the hammers of pianofortes
into action.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry John Gauntlett, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of January, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.
HENRY JOHN (L.S.) GAUNTLETT.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1853, the aforesaid Henry John Gauntlett came before
our said Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specifi-
cation aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three.