IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to the Hon. Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan
Crowly, Professor of Music, both of Durrow, in the Queen's County,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS."
Sealed the 22nd October 1869, and dated the 27th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the Hon. Robert Flower and
Matthias Morgan Crowly at the Office of the Commissioners of
Patents, with their Petition, on the 27th April 1869.
We, the Hon. ROBERT FLOWER and MATTHIAS MORGAN CROWLY,
Professor of Music, both of Durrow, in the Queen's County, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ORGANS,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of organs
as hereafter described.
In order that our Invention may be clearly understood we would
remark that large organs contain three rows of keys, first, the "swell,"
which is capable of gradual increase and decrease of tone to give
expression to what is termed solo playing; second, the "great," for

page_text: loud or chorus playing; and, third, the "choir" for soft accompaniment
playing. Effective organs also containing two rows of keys, and a row
and half have been built combining to a certain degree the advantages
of the larger instrument; but heretofore no organ containing but one
row of keys has been constructed capable of producing the effect of an
instrument with two or more.
Our Invention therefore consists in the construction of an instrument
containing but one row of keys, capable of detaching the ordinary lever
board so as to act on a single or double set of palettes at pleasure,
instantly producing on this one row of keys the effect of two or three.
A convenient arrangement of mechanism for carrying our Invention
into effect is as follows:-The end of a key on being depressed raises a
sticker thereby depressing the end of a lever, which through a wire and
button acts upon a palatte which admits the wind into the sound board
of the "great." When the palatte is not required to be opened it can
be disengaged from the key by a wedge-shaped piece acted on by a lever,
and the lever board is also caused to rise by the same wedge piece, the
lever board being kept in position by tenons at either end moving in
slots in guide pieces, and through which the wedge piece also acts.
Now when the lever board is raised the sticker lever is raised off the
stickers, and the sticker is kept in place by a piece of wire passing freely
through the end of the sticker lever, and when the end of the key is
put down the sticker can lift without moving the sticker lever, so that
the palatte remains closed. By moving the wedge piece in the contrary
direction the lever board drops and brings the sticker levers down until
they rest on the end of the sticker. There is a lever at the end of the
key to communicate the action of the key to a palatte, which admits
wind to the sound board of the choir organ, and this part of the action
always acts with the key. The sound board of the swell is acted upon
by the treble half of the key board. There is a division in the sound
board which divides the swell from the great. The palettes are joined
to the sticker levers by wires. In organs of ordinary construction the
lever boards are made in one piece and are fixtures, but according to our
Invention the lever boards are made in two parts or are divided, one
being a fixture and the other movable.
By our Invention the key board, which is of an extended range can be
divided so as to allow the left-hand half to act upon a set of delicate toned
pipes similar to a "choir" organ, while the right-hand half acts upon

page_text: a swell, so that the performer can play solos on it to the accompani-
ment of the choir organ, and also by the same mechanical arrangement
the whole instrument can be made to produce the effect of a great
orgau.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the Honorable Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan Crowly
in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 27th October 1869...
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, the
Honorable ROBERT FLOWER and MATTHIAS MORGAN CROWLY, Professor
of Music, both of Durrow, in the Queen's County, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
third year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto them, the said Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan
Crowly, Her special licence that they, the said Robert Flower and
Matthias Morgan Crowly, their executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as they, the said Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan
Crowly, their 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 nake,
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 ORGANS," upon the condition (amongst others) that
they, the said Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan Crowly, their
executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under his, 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 Scal
Patent Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the
date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that they, the said Robert Flower and Matthias
Morgan Crowly, do hereby declare the nature of their said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement, reference

page_text: being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters of reference
marked thereon, that is to say:-
Our Invention consists in the construction and arrangement of organs
as hereafter described.
In order to facilitate the description of our Invention we would remark
that large organs contain three rows of keys, first, the "swell," which
is capable of gradual increase and decrease of tono to give expression
to what is termed solo playing; second, the "great," for loud or chorus
playing; and, third, the "choir," for soft accompaniment playing.
Effective organs also containing two rows of keys and a row and a half
have been built combining to a certain degree the advantages of the
larger instrument; but heretofore no organ containing but one row of keys
has been constructed capable of producing the effect of an instrument
with two or more.
Our Invention consists in the construction of an instrument containing
but one row of keys capable of detaching the ordinary lever board so as to.
act on a single or double set of paletes at pleasure, and thereby instantly.
producing on this one row of keys the effect of two or three. In organs
of the ordinary construction the lever boards are made in one piece and
are fixtures, but according to our Invention the lever boards are divided,
one being a fixture and the other movable.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings shows in side elevation, and
Figuro 2 in vertical section, so much. of an organ as will be necessary
to illustrate the manner in which our Invention may be conveniently
carried into effect. Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in both
Figures.
D and D are the lever boards made in separate pieces or parts, that
inarked D being movable, and D" a fixture. The lever D is free to rise
and fall in guide pieces F, F, and is there held by tenons; B is a bar
made wedge-shaped at each ond, and free to slide in slots formed in the
guide pieces F, F, placed below the lever D, and on which the latter
rests; C is a lever for communicating motion to the wedge-shaped bar B.
Now by moving the lever C into the position shown by the dotted lines
the bar B is caused to move in a lateral direction, and the wedge-shaped
portions thereof to rise in the guide pieces F, F, and so causing the lever
board D to rise simultaneously therewith and to close the palate K and
prevent the admission of wind into the sound board L, as hereafter more
particularly described. By moving back the lever C the bar B moves in

page_text: the contrary direction to that before described, the wedge portions travel
down the guide pieces F, F, the lever board D descends, and the palate K
is again free to act to admit wind into the sound board L of the "great."
H, H, are the keys; I, I, are the stickers; K and N are the paletes ;
and L is the sound board of the great; M is a lever for communicating
the action of the key H to the palate N to admit wind to the sound
board O of the choir organ, and this part of the action always acts with
the key H; P is the sound board of the swell, and is always acted on by
the treble half of the key board. There is a division in the sound board
at the letter Q to divide the swell from the great. R, R, are wires for
uniting the paletes K with the levers J.
The action is as follows:-On depressing the key H it elevates the
sticker I at the other end thereof, depresses the end of the lever J, and by
means of a wire and button it acts upon the palate K, which admits wind
into the sound board of the great. When the palate K is not required
to be opened it is disengaged from the key H through the operation of
the wedge piece B (Figure 1) operated by the lever C, as before described,
for when the lever board D is raised to E the lever J is carried off the
stickers I, as shown by the dotted lines, and when in this position the
key moves without operating the palate K, and consequently without
admitting wind into the sound board L, the sticker being kept in its
place by a piece of wire passing freely through the end of the lever J, so
that when the end of the key H is put down the sticker I lifts without
moving the lever J and the palate Ķ remains closed. By moving the
wedge picce B back again the lever board D drops, brings the levers J
down until they rest on the end of the stickers I, and the keys H are
free to act through the stickers I on the levers J, and by the wires R on
the plate K, which will then work in unison with the key and admit
wind when the key is struck into the sound board L of the "great."
By these means and by these arrangements, which are solely under the
control of the performer, he can through the direction in which he
moves the lever C cause wind to be admitted to the sound board L by
the palate K, or to be cut off therefrom, as he may require or desire,
according to the music he is playing.
By our Invention the key board, which is of an extended range, can
be divided so as to allow the left-hand half to act upon a set of delicate
tone pipes similar to a choir organ, while the right-hand half acts upon a
swell, so that the performer can play solos on it to the accompaniment

page_text: of the choir organ; and also by the same mechanical arrangement the
whole instrument can be made to produce the effect of a great organ.
And having now described the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that we do not
limit ourselves to the particular arrangements described for carrying our
Invention into effect, as such arrangements may be altered without
departing from the essential features of our Invention; but we claim as
our "Improvements in Organs,"—
First. The construction of the lever boards in parts, one portion being
a fixture and the other movable, whereby the said lever board or boards
is or are caused to rise or fall at pleasure, and so to act on a single or
double set of paletes as desired, substantially in manner and for the
purposes set forth.
Second. The employment of wedge-shaped bars for communicating
motion to the lever board or boards, and for causing the same to
rise or fall according to the direction in which the said bars aro
moved, substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying,
Drawings.
Third. The construction, arrangement, and method of action of
organs, substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, the said Robert Flower and Matthias Morgan
Crowly, have hereunto set their hands and seals, this Twentieth
day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-nine.
ROBT. FLOWER.
(L.S.).
MATTHIAS MORGAN CROWLY. (L.S.)