Improvements in Musical Notation.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Dec., 1896-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
Improvements in Musical Notation.
J. STEFAN VON HEINRICH, of 1 Marxergasse Vienna, in the Empire of
Austrin, Engineer, 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 :-
The usual signs for musical sounds are the notes, which express the pitch and
the duration of the sound. The rising and the falling of the sound is expressed
by higher and deeper placing of the note-heads, the distances of which are
indicated by lines and leger lines.
The absolute signification of the sound-height is detormined by the clefs, viz:-
violin, soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.
Further degrees are indicated by "sharp" "flat" and "natural" signs.
Besides there are also signs for the rhythmical, proportions and modes of
expression.
Music writing is nothing else than the picture of single sounds or of a musical-
sound figure, which thought and the feeling has created; this musical sonnd figure
can be fixed by means of note-writing, as the latter indicates the sounds in the
corresponding succession; therefore every one, who has not yet heard' the piece, is
able to play the piece on an instrument in the desired succession and time, by
means of the note-writing.
It is therefore evident, that note-writing must represent principally the sounds,
in such clear figures, that one understands without any trouble the meaning of the
sign or figure.
The hitherto used note writing does not correspond to this condition, for not
only identical sounds which are in the purest consonance, for instance the sound C
in the various octaves is represented with different figures, as shown in Fig. 1, but
also one and the same sound for instance the C of one octave is represented
with the different signs in the different clefe.
These few examples show the undeniable fact; that note-writing has not only no
unitary sign for one and the same sound, but on the contrary, uses for equal
sounds dissimilar note figures; the consequence thereof is, that note-writing for
7 sounds (with 5 raised or lowered sounds) requires 1,000 kinds of signs in order
to show these sounds.
The 7 sounds which the music (with its 5 raised or lowered sounds) possesses,
give by their octaves about 8 sounds, which are in the purest consonnance with
the before mentioned.sounds.
That the hitherto used note-writing uses many thousands of signs, in order to
show the absolute indications of the sound, may be proved by the science of music,
the difficulties which torment the musician when playing, are however not lessened.
The ground scale of our European-Oriental music-system is limited to 7 sounds; the
eighth sound is the octave, with the same name as the first sound and derived from
the latter; therefore all the other sounds of music are the purest consonances of
these sounds and therefore also the note figures for the 7 sounds can have a common
sign, as they have the same name in all octaves.
This extraordinary simplification, as the hitherto used form is not to be changed
in any manner, can be obtained in a simple manner by means of polychromatic
signs, so that all the notes which represent the sound C in any octave are

page_text: represented in black, the sound Din red, E.in orange, F in yellow, G in green
A in blue and B in violet.
The note-figures for the raised or lowered sounds would consist of two colours
one next to the other, which two colours correspond to the coloure, between which
ground-sounds the note thus raised or lowered stands.
The note figure for the angmented C or the diminished D would be half black
and half-red; the augmented Dor the diminished E would be half red, half orange;
the augmented For the diminished G would be half yellow, and half green; the
augmented Gor diminished A would be half green, and half blue; the augmented A
or diminished B would be half blue and half violet; therefore we obtain 5 com-
binations of colours for the five raised or lowered tones, which of course remain
the same in all octaves.
With the introduction of 7 colours for the hitherto usual note-figures of the
7 diatonic-tones we receive in the note-writing a clearness for the absolute indication
of the tone-height, which leaves little to be desired.
A learner will no more be obliged to consider out of the combination of the
form of the black points and their position, of the prescribed key and the clef, of
the natural raising or lowering signs, what tone a note-figure indicates; but the
colour of the note will soon show which tone is to be played.
In which octave the tone is to be played, can be seen from the note figure as well
as from the position of the note..
In Fig. 2 are shown the notes of the tones C. D: E. F. G. A. B., intended to be in
the colours; black, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, aud violet, and the notes for
the raised and lowered tones which are, black-red, red-orange, yellow-green,
green-blue, and blue-violet.
This chromatic scale shows the same colours for each note-figure, which the
tones C. D. E. F. G. A. B. possess, and their raised or lowered sounds in all
octaves..
As drawings in colour are unsuitable for filing with this specification the acoom-
panying drawings are prepared wholly in black, and white. In order to indicate
the different colours I have adopted numbers, namely:-
It would be understood, however, that these numbers will not appear upon music
sheets, prepared according to this invention in which the various note heads are of
the corresponding colours only.
The polychromatic representation is very easily read, any black note of any
form or position and with any sign before it is always a C.
For the other notes any green note is a G, any blue note is an A, any yellow
Dote is an F, etc.
In this difference consists the advantage of the improvement, since the hitherto
used note-writing cannot give the absolute indication of the tone-height in a clearer
and simpler way, and this difference is new.
The duration of the tone, tlie rhythm and the expression of the playing result
from the known forms and signs, which are not changed in any way.
It is clear, that the polychromatic uote-writing will make in black all the notes
shown in Figs. 1 and 2 in black, as the colour of a black note in this note-writing
means, that all the notes are C...
With exception of the note-heads, which are changed in the colour, all remains
as it has been hitherto in black print.
In the semibreves and minims which consist only of rings, of course the periphery-

page_text: lines of the ring are made in the colours, which corresponds to the tone. This
improvement is not said to be necessary for the well educated musician, but it is
otherwise with children and the public generally not so well educated and
amateurs. The intellectual effort to which children have been hitherto subjected,
in order to find the tones out of the form of the black-notes and their position,
often makes children dislike the study of music. This trouble can now be devoted
to technical velocity and the understanding of the rhythmical proportions,
and the music-lesson will no longer be disliked but help to a quick musical
education.
The amateur and the less musically educated public will be able to play with
less effort also more difficult pieces and procure thus an amusement, which hitherto
was necessarily impossible for them.
The demand for music will be much greater.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
Improved polychromatic note-sheets, in which various-coloured note-heads are.
introduced, so that each tone in its different octaves has always the same colour,
which however differs from the other tones in the following manner:-C black,
D'red, E orange, F yellow, G green, A blue, and B violet, and that the raised or
lowered tones of the above diatonic-tones receive the colours of the two tones,
between which they lie.
.
1000
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
18 Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.