An Improved Mute or Sordine for Violins and similar Stringed Instruments.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Nov., 1896
ALL
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Mute or Sordine for Violins and similar Stringed
Instruments.
I, MICHAEL KUN, of Ludovica Akademie, Budapest Hungary, Sergeant, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a mute or sordine arranged on musical stringed instru-
ments such as the violin, and by means of which one can lower or change the
character of the sound in a simple manner according to necessity.
The construction is as follows:-
-
The mute is arranged behind the bridge of the stringed instrument (violin
tenor fiddle, 'cello, bass-viol, etc.), upon the tail piece. It consists of a square rod
guided in sockets and held rearward by means of 'a spiral-spring, which rod
carries on one end a suitably formed damping block held by means of a bent
spring, and on the other end a button.
The gradual or complete damping of the sound is effected by pressing during
playing the button forwards with the chin or otherwise whereby the damping
block fixed on the end of the rod by means of the spring lies partly or entirely
upon the surface of the bridge and damps the sound gradually or completely.
The button then lies upon the edge of the tail piece whereby the damping of the
sound is limited between certain limits; by a greater pressure on the button
the bridge becomes discharged. To raise the sound again slowly or suddenly, the
pressure on the button is diminished, whereby the spiral-spring arranged on the
sockets and connected on one side with the rod pushes the rod back and the damp-
ing block is thereby removed slowly or suddenly from the surface of the bridge.
In larger stringed instruments ('cello, contra-bass-viol, etc.), which during the play
do not lie on the neck, but rest upon the ground, instead of the button there is
used a pedal, which is operated by means of the foot. The stringed instrument
stands with its pin upon the ground, on these pins there is arranged a pedal lever.
On pressing down this pedal lever the other arm connected with the rod moves
the latter whereby the damping of the sound is effected in the above described
manner. All the parts of the sound damping apparatus are made of light and re-
sistent material (caoutchouc, whale-bone etc., for larger string instruments of metal)
and the form and the relative position to one another of the single parts and also
the material may vary.

page_text: An Improved Mute or Sordine for Violins and similar Stringed
Instruments.
I, MICHAEL KUN, of Ludovica Akademie, Budapest Hungary, Sergeant, 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:-
This invention relates to a mute or sordine arranged on musical stringed
instruments such as the violin so as to soften or change the character of the sound
in a simple manner and according to necessity.
The annexed drawing shows the construction of the mute or sordine in which
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, Fig. 3
is a side view of a device for use when the sound damper is operated by means of
the foot. Fig. 4 is a front view of the same.
The sound damper is arranged behind the bridge a of the stringed instrument
(violin, tenor fiddle, 'cello, contra-bass viol, etc.) and upon the tail piece b. The
damper consists of a square rod c guided in sockets c c¹ and held backwards by
means of the spiral spring d in the direction of the arrow; which rod e carries
on one end a peculiarly formed damping block 9 held by means of a bent spring f,
and at the other end a button h.
The gradual or complete damping of the sound is effected by pressing, during
playing the button h forwards with the chin or otherwise whereupon the damping
block fixed on the end of the rod e by means of the bent spring f is brought to
lie partly or entirely upon the surface of the bridge a and thus damps the sound
gradually or completely. The button h may then be turned to press upon the tail
piece. To raise the sound again slowly or suddenly, the pressure on the button h
is diminished whereby the spiral spring d arranged between the sockets c c¹ and
connected at one of its ends with the rod e pushes the rod e backwards in the
direction of the arrow and thereby the damping block g is removed slowly or
suddenly from the surface of the bridge a.
In larger stringed instruments ('cello, bass viol etc.) which whilst being played
do not lie on the neck, but rest upon the ground, instead of the button e there is
used a device shown in Figs. 3 and 4 which is operated by means of the foot.
The stringed instrument stands with its pin R on the ground; on this pin is
arranged a pedal lever. By pressure of the foot on the pedal arm 7 the other
arın m connected with the rod e moves in the direction of the arrow whereby the
damping of the sound is effected in the above described manner.
All the parts
of the sound damping apparatus are made of light and resistent material prefer-
ably caoutchouc, whale bone and the like or metal for larger stringed instruments
and the form and the relative position to one another of the single parts and also
the material of which they are made may vary.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:
Sound damping device for stringed instruments in which a damper 9 is
approached to bridge a by pressing on the button h (Fig. 1) or by treading upon the
lever arm (Figs. 3 and 4) the said block 9 being fixed on the end of the rod e by

page_text: means of the spring f and adapted to be brought into its previous position by
means of the spiral spring d arranged in the sockets c c³.
Dated this 19th day of August 1897.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents to
Applicant.