Improvements in Violins and other Stringed Musical Instruments.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th July, 1894-Accepted, 11th Aug.. 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Violins and other Stringed Musical Instruments.
I, BRUNO EMIL WOLLENHAUPT, Musician, of 1837 Madison Avenue, New
York City, in the County and State of New York, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The object of the invention is to provide certain new and useful improvements in
violins, violas, violoncellos and other similar stringed instruments, whereby the
volume and duration of the tone is greatly increased.
The invention consists principally of an auxiliary vibrating device arranged
within the body of the instrument, and adapted to sound sympathetically and in
unison with the strings played.
The invention also consists in certain parts and details, and combinations of the
same, as will be hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
Specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in
all the views.
Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of the improvement, on the line 1-1 of
Figure 2;
Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the same, on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a transverse section of the same, on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a sectional side elevation of a modified form of the improvement;
and
Figure 5 is a sectional plan view of the same.
The musical instrument on which the device is applied, is provided with the
usual body A, carrying the tail-piece B connected with one end of the strings C,
extending over the bridge D and the neck A¹, to fasten in the usual manner in the
head of the neck.
Within the body A is arranged an auxiliary vibrating device adapted to sound
sympathetically and in unison with the strings C played on by the bow, it being
understood that only such parts of the vibrating device are sounded as are tuned
As illustrated in Figures 1, 2
in harmony with the corresponding strings C.
and 3, the said auxiliary vibrating device is provided with a set of metallic
strings E, arranged longitudinally in the body A, and extending over frets F
and F1 held transversely on blocks G and G¹ respectively secured to the bottom of
the body A.
The metallic strings E, near the bouts A' of the body A, are attached to
wrest pins H mounted to turn in suitable bearings attached to the block G, or
forming part thereof, while the outer ends of the said strings E are fastened
on pins H' secured on the block G¹. The wrest pins H are each provided
with a worm wheel in mesh with a worm I, formed on a shaft 11 mounted to turn
in suitable bearings arranged on the block G, and the said shafts extend through
openings in the bouts A, to have their outer ends I made square for the con-
venient application of a tuning bammer or key, to turn the said shaft I', and
consequently the worm I and wrest pin H, to wind up or unwind the corresponding
string E, so as to tune the same to the desired pitch.
By the arrangement described the strings E of the auxiliary vibrating device
can thus be conveniently tuned from the outside of the body A, so as to keep
the auxiliary vibrating device at all times in perfect harmony with the strings C
of the instrument.

page_text: The strings E for a viola, violin and violoncello, for instance are preferably
twelve in number, and represent an octave of twelve half tones and tuned from C
to B, thus:
When playing successive chords, or whenever it is desired not to increase the
volume and duration of the tone of the strings played, it is necessary to dampen the
strings E, and for this purpose I employ a dampening device preferably of
the construction shown in the drawings, and provided with a transversely-extending
brush J, having its back secured on a longitudinally-extending lever K, fulcrumed
at K on a bracket secured to the bottom of the body A. A slotted guide K'
engages the lever K, so as to properly guide the up and down swinging motion of
the lever and the brush J.
The rear end of the lever K is pivotally connected with a rod L extending:
upwardly through an aperture in the top of the body A and also through an
aperture in the tail-piece B, the extreme upper end of the said rod L abutting
against the under side of a lever N, held on a spring O secured to the tail-piece B,
the said spring forming the fulcrum for the lever N. This lever N extends longi-
tudinally a short distance over the tail-piece B, so that it passes under the player's
chin and permits the player, by pressing his chin downward, to press the lever N
to cause a downward pressure of the rod L, and a consequent upward swinging of
the lever K in the direction of the arrow a to move the brush J in contact with all
the strings E, thereby dampening the same. As soon as the operator moves his
chin upward and thereby releases the pressure on the lever N, then the spring O
returns the said lever to its normal position, and the lever K by its own weight,
swings downward in the inverse direction of the arrow a', to move the brush J out
of engagement or contact with the strings E.
Thus it will be seen that the player can at any time dampen the sympathetically
vibrating strings E in the body of the instrument, so that only the usual sounds of
the strings played form the tones desired to be played, but as soon as the damper
is free of the strings E, then the latter sound sympathetically with the
corresponding strings whenever the latter are played.
I do not limit myself to any special vibrating device within the body of the
instrument, as the said device can be greatly varied. For instance, a vibrating
device such as shown in Figures 4 and 5 may be employed, consisting of a comb P,
having its base attached to a suitable block secured to the bottom of the body A,
while the prongs of the said comb can be dampened by a suitable dampening
device in the shape of a brush, as indicated in the said figures, the dampening
device however, being under the control of the operator, as previously explained in
reference to Figures 1, 2 and 3. Stops J', of felt or other material, are attached
to the back of the brush, and rest normally on the bottom of the body A.
By having the wrest pins and mechanism for turning the same, arranged in the
lower end of the instrument, as shown in the drawings, the player is enabled to
easily support and hold the violin in place and withcut becoming tired by the
additional weight.
It is understood that when the violin is played, every tone from the highest
pitch to the lowest pitch will cause the corresponding auxiliary string E, or prong
of the comb P to vibrate sympathetically and therefore cause a prolongation and
increase in volume of the tone played. It is also understood that all harmonics,
natural or artificial, respond and prolong the sound produced by the bow passing
over the strings; but in succeeding chords it is advisable to apply the damper to
prevent disharmony. In order to sound the strings E, when tuning the same, a
small stick may be introduced through the holes of the body A, to strike and
sound the strings.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said iuven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is,
1. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device arranged within the body of the instrument, and adapted to sound:
sympathetically and in unison with the string or strings played, to prolong and.
reinforce the sound, substantially as shown and described.
2. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device forming a permanent fixture of and within the body of the
instrument, the said device being arranged to sound sympathetically and in unison
with the string or strings played, to prolong and reinforce the sound, substantially
as shown and described.
3. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device arranged within the body of the instrument, and adapted to sound
sympathetically and in unison with the string or strings played, to prolong and
reinforce the sound, and a dampening device under the control of the player and
adapted to immediately dampen the auxiliary and reinforcing sounds of the
said vibrating device without affecting the regular sounds of the instrument,.
substantially as shown and described.
4. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device, comprising auxiliary strings arranged longitudinally in the body
of the instrument, and secured at one end to pins and at the other end to wrest
pins adapted to be turned from the outside of the body of the instrument,.
Bubstantially as shown and described.
5. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device, comprising auxiliary strings arranged longitudinally in the body
of the instrument, and secured at one end to pins and at the other end to wrest.
pins adapted to be turned from the outside of the body of the instrument, and a
damper adapted to be moved in contact with the said auxiliary strings, to dampen
the latter, substantially as shown and described.
6. A musical instrument of the class described, provided with an auxiliary
vibrating device, comprising auxiliary strings arranged longitudinally in the body
of the instrument, and secured at one end to pins and at the other end to wrest.
pins adapted to be turned from the outside of the body of the instrument, a.
damper adapted to be moved in contact with the said auxiliary strings, to dampen
the latter, and a lever adapted to be pressed by the chin of the player, and.
connected with the said damper, to move the latter in contact with the said strings,.
substantially as shown and described.
7. A musical instrument, provided with a dampening lever held on the tail-piece
of the instrument and adapted to be pressed by the chin of the operator,.
substantially as shown and described.
8. A musical instrument provided in its body with a fixed comb having its prongs
tuned to sound sympathetically with the tunes played on the usual strings, to.
reinforce and prolong the tone, substantially as shown and described.
B. E. WOLLENHAUPT,
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.