IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Giuseppe Chiappa and Gustavus Fersani, of No. 6,
Little Bath Street, in the Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the County of
Middlesex, Musical Instrument Manfra, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 18th March 1879, and dated the 21st September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Giuseppe Chiappa and
Gustavus Fersani at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 21st
September 1878.
GIUSEPPE CHIAPPA and GUSTAVUS FERSANI, of No. 6, Little Bath Street, in the
Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Musical Instru-
ment Mantrs. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
Our Invention relates to that class of musical instruments played by means of a
barrel, and has for its object the production in one instrument of a piano combined
with a cornet-á-piston accompaniment and obligato.
"
We construct that part of the instrument forming the piano in the manner usual
for barrel pianos, except that it does not occupy the whole length of the case, and
that the barrel is extended beyond it to the full length of the case. The remaining
portion of the case and barrel are devoted to the cornet-á-piston arrangement.
The bellows, which we place in the lower part of the case, we connect by suitable
mechanism with the going part of the instrument, and by air passages with a series
of reeds and brass trumpet bells, which we construct of such shape and material as
to produce a quality of tone similar to that of a cornet-á-piston, and which in the
whole will render the production similar to that of a harp or pianoforte and cornet
or cornets-á-piston.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Giuseppe Chiappa and Gustavus Fersani in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 21st March 1879.
GIUSEPPE CHIAPPA and GUSTAVUS FERSANI, of 6, Little Bath Street, in the
Parish of Saint James, Clerkenwell, in the County of Middlesex, Musical Instru-
ment Manufacturers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
Our Invention relates to that class of musical instruments played by means of a
barrel, and has for its object the production in one instrument of a piano combined
with a cornet-à-piston accompaniment and obligato. We construct that part of the
instrument forming the piano in the manner usual for barrel pianos, except that it
does not occupy the whole length of the case, and that the barrel is extended
beyond it to the full length of the case. The remaining portion of the case and
barrel are devoted to the cornet-à-piston arrangement. The bellows, which we
place in the lower part of the case, we connect by suitable mechanism with the
going part of the instrument, and by air passages with a series of reeds and brass
and trumpet bells, which we construct of such shape and material as to produce a
quality of tone similar to that of a cornet-à-piston, and which in the whole will
render the production similar to that of a harp or pianoforte and cornet or cornets-
à-piston.
In order that our said Invention may be fully understood we shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the annexed Sheets of Drawings, the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure 1 of our Drawings represents a front elevation of one of our instruments,
with part of the base removed to show the working parts.
Figure 2 is an end elevation with part of the case removed.
Figure 3 shows the arrangement of the trumpet bells.
Figure 4 represents one of the trumpet bells drawn to a larger scale detached,
and with its reed exposed.
Figure 5 represents the mechanism and adjacent parts at the end of the case, as
seen from the inside when the barrel is removed.
Figure 6 is a representation, the barrel being removed, of the trumpet bells, air
reservoir and passages, and some of the mechanism connected therewith; and
Figure 7 represents a side view of the arrangement of one of the pianoforte
keys.
A indicates the barrel, on the surface of which are fixed pins and staples a, a,
(shewn only in Figures 2 and 7), by which the keys are raised in the order and for
the time required; B is a wheel with ratchet teeth fixed to the cylinder A, and
driven by the screw C which is turned by the handle D. On the same axle with
the screw C is another screw C¹ cut in the opposite direction for giving motion to
any additional parts, as, for instance, to a panorama; also the ratchet wheel C³,
which, with its pawl, serves to prevent the handle being turned in the wrong
direction; also two cranks E, E, at right angles to each other, giving a reciprocating
motion to the bars bb, cc, and dd, which respectively work the upper and lower
chambers of the bellows F, so that one chamber shall be filling while the other is
forcing air along the course indicated by the arrows into the reservoir G. The air
reservoir G has flexible sides like a bellows which allow the top of it to rise as air
is forced in, the return of the air being prevented by a valve in the air passage
between the reservoir and the bellows. The top of the reservoir is constantly
pressed down by the springs e, e, e, and by this means the uniformity of the blast
to the trumpet bells is secured. H is the passage through which the air passes in
the direction of the arrow from the reservoir to the valve chamber I of the trumpet
bells.
J, J, are the trumpet bells, which we make of brass and of the shape shewn in
the Drawings, fitting air-tight into the top of the valve chamber, and terminating

page_text: at their lower extremity with a reed more fully shewn in Figure 4, which represents
one of the trumpet bells detached and drawn to a larger scale, and shows the
arrangement of the reed g and the wire for tuning, the former being shown in the
Drawing bent back that it may be seen; K, K, are rods connecting the valves at
the bottom of the trumpet bells with their respective keys, and L, L, are the keys
operating the cornet-á-piston arrangement, and having on the under surface of each
a tooth by which the key is raised by the pins and staples a, a, on the surface of
the cylinder as the latter revolves in the direction of the arrow f; M, M, are the
keys of the piano, which are lifted and released by the passing of the pins and
staples on the surface of the cylinder as the latter revolves, the arrangement of
which is shown more clearly in F 7, in which A is a part of the cylinder; M, one of
the keys, n its spring, and p the centre on which the key moves; N, N, are the
hammers connected with the keys in the usual manner; O is the wrest plank; P,
the upper bridge; Q, the lower bridge; and R, a piece of felt; S, the sound board;
T is a handle, by moving which the tune is changed by shifting the barrel endwise
by apparatus usual for that purpose, and which is shown in Figure 5, where h is a
wheel which is fixed on the same axle as the handle T, and has a stud i projecting
from its face which pushes back the lever j to raise the key frame while the cylinder
is being shifted. The wheel & has one spur tooth which gears into the teeth of the
cam wheel k, on the face of which are a series of inclines and planes n, n, against
which the end of the axle of the cylinder rests and is kept by a spring at the other
end; is a spring by which the key frame is brought back after having been lifted,
and m is a screw for regulating the distance of the key frame from the cylinder;
U, U, are parts of the case.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of our said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be carried into effect, we wish it to
be understood that what we claim as the Invention secured to us by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is, the combination and construction in one
instrument of a barrel pianoforte with an arrangement for producing the effect of
a cornet or cornets-á-piston, substantially in the manner and for the purposes
described and set forth.
In witness whereof, we, the said Giuseppe Chiappa and Gustavus Fersani, have
hereunto set our hands and seals, this Twenty-first day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine.
GIUSEPPE CHIAPPA.
(L.S.).
GUSTAVUS FERSANI. (L.S.)