CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN AND PERTAINING TO MUSICAL INSTRU- MENTS
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henri Adrien Bonneville, of the British and Foreign
Patent Offices, 18, Rue de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly,
in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention of "CERTAIN
NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN AND PERTAINING TO MUSICAL INSTRU-
MENTS." A communication from Charles Frederick Hill, residing at Stam-
ford, Connecticut, United States of America, Piano Maker.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Henri Adrien Bonneville at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 31st August 1876.
HENRI ADRIEN BONNEVILLE, of the British and Foreign Patent Offices, 18, Rue
de la Chaussée d'Antin, Paris, France, and 6, Piccadilly, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent.
"CERTAIN NEW AND USEFUL IMPROVEMENTS IN AND PERTAINING TO
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.' A communication from Charles Frederick Hill, residing
at Stamford, Connecticut, United States of America, Piano Maker.
22
The Invention consists in the combination of bells, pipes, and piano-like actions
to formn a musical instrument.
This Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, which will be
referred to as the description progresses.
These bells (the word bells being used as synonymous with gongs) are best made
by stamping or pressing, or they may be spun. In the high treble they may be
cast or pressed out of fine hot steel. A good thickness for five octaves down to
For A is part of an inch, thickening or hardening the metal more and more, as
the notes are carried yet above. A low F or A may be ten to twelve inches in
diameter, the highest note two inches or less. Any roughness or inequalities
in bells injures the tone.
The bells are principally made of oval or circular forms, and may be made by
corrugating sheets of metal at their edges. The spun bell is made by a revolving
disk of metal being forced against a suitably shaped chuck. The bell must be
struck at a point where no wolf tone but a smooth vibration follows, hence the

page_text: bell must be so held that it may not revolve when placed in position. The edge of
the bell is to be placed over on its edge within its pipe. In the high treble the
edge of the bell is sunk in a small cup till the best vibratory point is found.
Two equal pins fixed at the diameter points near the edge of the bell will become
or fix its nodal or unwavering points. Two other like pins may be placed at
exact intermediato points with the same result. These pins may receive the
hammer stroke and the damper, and cutting-off pieces of these pins sharpens the
bells.
The bells may be (but not necessarily) arranged about parallel with the keys,
inclining a little from the vertical, that the hammers may not strike fair on their
thin edges. Bells may be tuned while on a properly supported shaft in the lathe,
their pipes being in place near them. The bell should be at first a little flat in
pitch; turning a little off its edge sharpens it. Two bells may be near together
on one or on two handles, and the striking of one bell will cause the other to sound.
If the companion bell be an octave bell the pipe may be so divided that each bell
may have its legitimate pipe as a, a, b, b, Fig. 7.
The bell handle u, Fig. 2, is firmly fixed to inside or outside of bell, and will be
held on or in rubber cloth or suitable material v to the bars of the bell frame t, t,
and be held down by buttons w, and further fixed in place by bushed pins ;
but instead of buttons w the handle may be held in place by a strip or strips
covering few or many handles The bell frame is best cast in iron in one or more
parts, having the dampers and perhaps the partitions attached to and the pipes
resting on or against it. The bell handle may rest on an arm y, Fig. 2. The bell
frame must be bedded on rubber or on other soft material. The bell handles may
be held in soft rubber tubing, and the key frame or key rails be bedded in cloth or
in rubber.
The pipe (any hollow vessel) is best when having a large mouth, and being
about two or three times as long as it is wide. In Fig. 1b is a pipe, in the mouth d
of which the edge of the bell a enters. Stop pipes are the best for bells. The pipo
is provided with a screw shank, so as to move the same to or from the bell (see h,
Fig. 1). The pipes will be on their own frame or frames communicating or not
with a sounding board. A pipe may be tuned to its note by an opening with a
button. Partitions between the adjoining pipes will prevent the interference of
sound waves. Pipes may have oblique mouths as d, Fig. 1. One pipe in the bass
may serve for two bells, one of the tones of the pipe being produced by a tuner
attached to the key, damper, or action opening or closing a small hole in the pipe;
but without a tuner a pipe of an intermediate pitch may be used for the two bells.
Two bells to one pipe may also be used for one note. The pipe may be held above
or below, or in any position to the bell. The tuner opens or closes a hole in or partly
opens or closes the mouth of the pipe.
In Fig 5 b is a pipe; b, b, a tuner key centered at c to open or close the hole d.
The tuner key is to be held open or closed by any simple spring, and in some
positions it will be pushed instead of pulled. The handle b, b, Fig. 5, may be
straight or of 2 or other suitable shape. The bells; pipes, and action to be
arranged in the least space require either the finger keys of very unequal
lengths or keys of measurably equal lengths with rods or connectors of unequal
lengths.
In Fig. 3, 1, 1, are the keys to the various lengths of rods or connectors j, j,
answering to oblique action rails K. There may be more or less keys in one
of the groups 1, 1, 1, to a corresponding number of rods, which rods are pushers if
above and pullers if below the keys. Letters e, a, Figs. 3 and 9, indicate the
mouths of cells or cavities; Fig. 4 shows rails h, k, over keys l. Here the rods or
connectors are dispensed with, the inequalities of the rods being transferred to the
.keys.
In Fig. 87 are the keys to transverse action rails K, or sets of rails. There
may be two or more of these rails or sets of rails to two or more lengths of koys.
În Fig. 9 1, 1, are the keys to the rods or connectors 1, j, and letters & show the

page_text: positions of the action rails. There may be two or more rails to two or more
lengths of rods, and rods j, j, are pushers if above and pullers if below the keys.
Either upright or horizontal actions may be used with either arrangement of
keys.
In Fig. 1, key 2 under rod 3 works horizontal jack 4 and horizontal hammer f.
Where keys of varying lengths with hammer rails oblique as K, Fig. 4, or,
parallel as K, K, K, Fig. 8, have the ordinary horizontal action, then the bells
with their dampers will rest on the bell frame or frames over the action, and the
pipes in mass or masses will be over the bells. The bell frame or frames should
be hinged to be turned, together with the pipe frame or frames from over the
action andkeys.
Where keys with rods j, Figs. 3 and 9, are used, immediately behind an upright
or above a horizontal action, are the bells, and just behind the bells are the pipes in
tiers. The pipes may be there fixed in their position, and the bell frame or frames
rest on appropriate points. A few oblique keys immediately under and moved
by the finger keys may extend into the empty treble space, and move the action of
bells and pipes occupying that space In extension key, Fig. 6, A is the front end
and b the back end of finger key moving.on the centres c, c.
The damper head i, Fig 1, is moved from the bell a, when hammer head frises
to strike a. The loud pedal may here slightly raise or lower the back or the front
ends of the keys, or the pedal may move the action a little forward.
Another damper is shown, Fig 5, where f is the hammer and n the lifter to
raise damper heads o and o, o, from bell a. Double heads o, o, o, or their equivalent,
a long head, are needed in the bass The lower bass hammers are to be soft like
balls of darning cotton. The high treble hammers are to be hard like metal, bone,
or ivory, and the hammer may be the shank itself held in a cork or non-vibratory
flange, the bass hammer head having a spring of rubber or wire in the hole 5,
shown through the head, Fig. 10. These very hard hammers will be graded down
to the softer ones by coverings of parchment, hand leather, or other suitable
material. The sound of the hammer stroke is lessened if the ends of the shank bo
wound, as with twine, or covered, as with rubber, and thus inserted in the hammer
head, or flange, or both.
The stroke check prevents the hammer striking the bell too forcibly. In Fig. 1,
e is a check, the distance of which from the hammer shank will regulate the riso
of the hammer head. The check may be various as by the loop of a string or by
a string tied to the shank, the string passing through the hammer rail and there
held by a plug; or the hammer can be checked at e, e, Fig. 1, and be regulated by
a screw; or screws in rails over the shank may govern the hammer stroke.
The soft pedal will be material on rails to interpose between the hammer and
the bells. In the treble this material will be like parchment or hand leather, and
in the bass be very soft. The case can be so made as to form a swell box (as in
the pipe organ) and a fan being made to play over an aperture will form a tremolo
operated by the knee or foot. The part of the instrument above the keys can be
made removable. This facilitates handling.
The bells and pipes form an excellent addition or attachment to reed instruments,
as harmoniums, especially in the treble. To disconnect the bell sounds from the
reed tones a stop or pedal will raise the hammer heads beyond the influence of
the keys.
Having thus described my improvements in musical instruments, and the manner
of working the same, I would not however confine myself to these exact details, so
long as the features novel in my Invention are retained, nor do I claim the parts
which are common and. well known, but what I chiefly claim is,-
1. The combination of a series of bells, pipes, and dampers, arranged to a key
board mechanism to form a musical. instrument.
2. The combination of cast, spun, and stamped bells, with pipes, dampers, and
piano-like actions.

page_text: 3. The placing of the bell in combination with the pipe, that the bell may be
struck at the nodal or unwavering point.
4. The use of stop or open pipes in combination with bells and piano-like actions.
5 The bell frame t, t, Fig. 2, for use in combination with pipes and bells.
6. The rods or connectors, or their equivalents, of varying lengths, arranged to
communicate the motion of the keys to the action in the combination of bells with
pipes (see rods j, Figs. 3 and 9).
7. The upright action arranged to rods, or their equivalents, of varying lengths,
see Fig. 1, for use in combination with bells and pipes.
8. The horizontal action arranged to rods of varying lengths, or their equivalents,
see Fig. 1, rod 3, for use in combination with bells and pipes.
9. The keys and action arranged to rail k, Fig 4, whereby the keys reach to
the rails, the inequalities of the rods being transferred to the keys for use in com-
bination with bells and pipes.
10. The keys and action arranged to two or more rails, Fig. 8, whereby the
keys reach the rails, the inequalities of the rods being transferred to the keys for
use in combination with bells and pipes.
11. The pipes arranged to correspond with rails k, Figs. 3, 4, 8, and 9, for use in
combination with bells.
12. The keys arranged as in Fig. 6, also the keys arranged beneath the finger
keys for use in combination with bells and pipes.
13. The uniting of pipes singly or in mass or masses to a sounding board or
boards, to increase the volume of tone, for use in combination with bells.
14. The attachment of the dampers to the bell frame in the combination of bells
and pipes.
15. The double head damper, see Fig. 5, or its equivalent, for use in combination
with bells and pipes.
16. The damper and hammer moved on the same pivot, see e, e, f, and i, Fig. 1,
for use in combination with bells and pipes
'
17. The damper pedal, for use in combination with bells and pipes.
18. The soft pedal, for use in combination with bells and pipes.
19. The placing of a part of the bells and pipes and their adjuncts above, and
part below the level of the key board
20. The spinning of bells, for use in the combination of bells and pipes.
21. Partitions between the bells and pipes to stop or lessen the coinmunication of
sound waves between them.
22. The tuner, whereby one pipe is rendered in tune for either of two notes, for
use in combination with bells and pipes.
23. Double bells at octaves to double pipes at octaves, to one finger key.
24. The use to one pipe of two or more bells of the same note.
25. The use, in combination with pipes, of bells tuned while the bells revolve as
on a shaft.
26. The inserting of the hammer shank in rubber, cloth, or other soft material,
for use in combination with bells and pipes.
27. The use of soft or unvibrating material interposed between the bells or bell
handles and the parts to which they are held, for use in combination with pipes.
28. The fixed bell handle u, Fig. 2, in the combination of bells and pipes.
29. The bell handle cushioning v and button w, Fig. 2, for use in combination
with bells and pipes.
30. The stroke check, see e and e, e, Fig. 1, for use in combination with bells
and pipes.
31. The metallic or solid hammer for use with treble bells in combination with
pipes.
32. The new key board of alternate white and black (sharp and natural) keys,
for use in combination with bells and pipes.
33. The combination of bells and pipes, arranged to reed or to other musical
instruments as a bell piano attachment,

page_text: 34 The arranging of bells parallel, or measurably so, with (not transverse to) the
keys, in combination with pipes.
35. The swell box and tremolo in combination with pipes and bells.
of our Lord
In witness whereof, 1, the said Henri Adrien Bonneville, have hereto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-sixth day of August, in the year
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.
H. BONNEYVILLE. (L.S.)