An Apparatus for Recording the Notes of Music Played on Keyed Instruments.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th May, 1892-Accepted, 16th July, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Recording the Notes of Music Played on Keyed
Instruments.
JOSEPH FOEHR, of 39 Neckarstrasse, Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of
Württemberg, Germany, Inspector do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of this my invention is to provide means for printing or writing down
the notes of music as they are played, by which means the said notes are printed
automatically and simultaneously while the instrument is being played, thus
enabling composers to widely extend their mind and fully make ise of their
talents.
The apparatus, which is illustrated on the accompanying drawing, may be said to
consist of three main parts called the key-work, the writing and ruling machine
having a driving (clock) work, and the air-pressure machine.
:
The key-work as illustrated by Fig. 1 is placed upon the key-board of a piano
or an organ. The tube 1 runs across the complete set of keys and is mounted with
both ends on bearings lying on the sides of the instrument. Small valve-cases 2
branch off from the main-tube 1, one being straight over each key. Every valve
has its exit-port 3 slightly apart from the main-tube, into which air is forced by
opening the valve, when the key below it is struck. The clacks 4 of the valves are
connected to cylindrical metal weights by small rods. The under surfaces of these
weights are furnished with leather or felt discs to avoid or damp the noise, when
the kevs return. The weights bear direct on the keys and are screwed unto the
rods, thus by turning them right or left-handed they may be lowered or raised,
whereby the valve can be regulated according to need. The small tubes 5, which
may be made of lead, brass or india-rubber, lead off the air from the ports 3 to the
block 6, forming part of the writing-machine shown in Figs. 2 & 3. These tubes 5
connect the two main-parts in such a manner as to permit an easy disconnection
by merely slackening two screw-bolts.
The block 6 is provided with as many angular ports 7 as there are valves 2 in
the key-work. In the vertical parts of these ports play small plungers 8 fitted
to the same.
The writing levers 9, which are fulcrumed by a common shaft 10, bear
on the plungers 8, which being driven upward by the compressed air, transfer the
motion to the same. The other ends of the writing-levers are furnished with leather
heads, which are inked by the ink-roll 11. The ruling machine consists of a roll 12
driven by clock-work and carrying the paper-scroll 13 and of a ruling-roll 14 and an
ink-roll 15. The ruling-roll 14 is forcibly pressed against the driving roll 12 which
thereby not only implies motion to the first and to the paper but also permits the latter
to be ruled. As an air-pressure machine any kind of bellows driven by clock-work
may be employed, the connection between it and the key-work may be a fixed one by
applying a firm tube 16 or may be movable by making use of a flexible tube
instead.
The apparatus described above will act in the following manner: The paper-scroll
is moved on with a speed regulated so as to agree with the time of the piece. When a
key is touched the valve 2 is opened, on account of the weight being lowered. The
air forces its way out of the main-air-tube 1 into the pipe 5 and from here into the
port 7 of the block 6. The plunger is forced upward and turns the lever 9 slightly
about its axis 10. The leather head of this same lever is thereby pressed against the
paper and marks a dot or line thereon agreeing in its length to the duration of the note.
The dots and lines produced in this manner appear on or between the lines on the scroll

page_text: printed thereon by the ruling-roll, which lines represent the black upper keys of the
piano and the intermediate spaces the white lower keys.
Dated this 31st day of August 1891.
JUSET FUN,
By Geo. Thos. Hyde,
P. p. S. J. E.,
4, Little Moorfields, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus for Recording the Notes of Music Played on Keyed
Instruments.
I, JOSEPH FOEHR, of Stuttgart, in the Kingdom of Württemberg, in the
German Empire, Inspector do hereby declare the nature of my invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascer-
tained in and by the following statement:―
The object of my invention is to provide means for printing or writing down the
notes as they are played. By these means the notes are printed'automatically and
simultaneously while being played, thus enabling composers to write pieces of
music in a very convenient. manner, and to make a full use of their talents."
My invention. will be more readily understood by reference to the drawings sent
in with Provisional Specification, in which :
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the part of my improved apparatus which is
connected directly to the keys.
Fig. 2 is a plan of the part for recording the notes and ruling the paper, and
Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same.
Similar letters indicate similar parts throughout the several views.
The apparatus, which is illustrated by the drawing, may be said to consist of
three main parts called: the key-work, the writing and ruling machine having a
driving (clock) work, and the air-pressure machine.
The key-work as illustrated by Fig. 1 is placed upon the key-board of a piano
or an organ. The tube runs across the complete set of keys and is mounted
with both ends on bearings lying on the sides of the instrument. Small valve-
boxes 2. branch off from the main-tube 1, one being right above each key. Every
valve has its exhaust-port 3 at a slight distance from the main-tube, into which
compressed air is admitted, when opening the valve, when the corresponding key is
struck. The clacks 4 of the valves are connected to cylindrical metal weights by
small rods. The under surfaces of these weights are furnished with leather or felt
disks to avoid or damp the noise, when the keys return. The weights bear directly
on the keys and are screwed on the rods, thus by turning them to the right or to the
left, they may be lowered or raised, whereby the valve may be adjusted as required.
The small tubes 5, which may be made of lead, brass or india-rubber, lead off the air
from the ports 3 to the block 6, forming part of the writing-machine shown in
Figs. 2 & 3. These tubes 5 are secured by means of two screw-bolts in such
manner, that the parts of the apparatus which.communicate by means of said tubes
may be easily disconnected by unscrewing the before mentioned bolts.
The block 6 is provided with as many angular ports 7.as there are valves.2 in
the key-work. Small plungers 8 play in the vertical parts of these ports. The
writing levers 9, which are fulcrumed on a common shaft 10, bear on the plungers 8,
which being driven upward by the compressed air, transmit the motion to the said
levers. The other ends of the latter are furnished with leather heads, which are
inked by the ink-roll 11. The ruling machine consists of a roll 12 driven by
clock-work and carrying the paper-scroll 13, of a ruling-roll 14 and an ink-roll 15.
The ruling-roll 14 is forcibly pressed against the driving roll 12, which thereby not
only imparts motion to the former and to the paper, but also effects the ruling of
the latter. As an air-pressure machine I may employ any kind of bellows driven

page_text: by clock-work, the connection between this machine and the key-work being
a fixed one by applying a rigid tube 16, or movable by making use of a flexible
tube instead.
The apparatus described above operates in the following manner: The paper-
scroll is moved on with a speed regulated so as to agree with the time of the piece.
When a key is touched the valve 2 is opened, on account of the weight being
lowered. The air forces its way out of the main air-tube 1 into the pipe 5 and
hence into the port 7 of the block 6. The plunger is forced upward and slightly
turns the lever 9 around its axis 10. The leather head of this lever is thereby
pressed against the paper and marks a dot or line thereon corresponding in its
length to the duration of the note. The dots and lines produced in this manner
appear on or between the lines of the scroll printed thereon by the ruling-roll,
which lines represent the black upper keys of the instrument and the intermediate
Epaces the white lower keys. The lines forming the staff may be printed in different
colours, so that the position of the notes may be more easily ascertained on the
printed scroll.
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:-
An apparatus for recording the notes played on keyed instruments, consisting of
a compressed-air tube 1, extending over the keys of the instrument, valves 2 for
admitting compressed air into the branch-tubes 5, when the corresponding key is
depressed, plungers 8 adapted to be driven forward by the compressed air flowing
through tubes 5 and thus to operate the writing-levers 9, by means of which the
notes are recorded on a scroll of paper 13, driven by a roll 12 and ruled by another
roll 14, for the purpose as described.
Dated this 30th day of May 1892.
Dated this 30th day of May 1892.
By Geo. Thos. Hyde,
JOSEPH FOEHR,
4, Moorfields, Fore Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.