IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS KNOWN BY THE NAMES OF ORGANINO, ANGELOPHONE, AND HARMONIUM, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1864

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Peter Armand Lecomte
de Fontainemoreau at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with
his Petition, on the 14th April 1864.
I, PETER ARMAND LECOMTE DE FONTAINEMOREAU, of the General' Patent
Offices; 10; Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 4, "South
Street, Finsbury, London, Patent' Agent, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS KNOWN BY THE
NAMES OF ORGANINO, ANGELOPHONE, AND HARMONIUM, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE
ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS," to be as follows, that is to
say
Instead of placing the case of the instrument on separate supports as usual

page_text: I fix it on two side panels (which may be terminated by brackets) and on a
back panel, the latter being sunk to receive a curtain like an organ or piano.
By this arrangement, not only the form of the instrument is varied, but the
case has a firmer footing, with increased dimensions, which greatly augments
the tone of the instrument.
Until now the key board of these kinds of instruments has been open. I
apply to them a folding cover which serves also to hold the music similar to
that of an organ or piano, and which preserves the instrument from dust, and
permits of cutting openings in the panel or address bar, and of making it
moveable so as to let out, the sound from the instrument more freely. This
panel or address bar is inclined from the point where it touches the keys, so
that it presents no obstacle to the fingers when playing the black keys.
Instead of supporting the key board on pivots as is usual, I fix it in front
of the case by hinges, so that it can fold down in front, and draw out with it
the wind box (sommier) which is thus more easily tuned. The single or
double action pump is here applied as in the ordinary instruments, and the
reservoir can act vertically or horizontally.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Peter Armand Lecomte de Fontainemoreau in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th October 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PETER
ARMAND LE COMTE DE FONTAINE MOREAU, of the General Patent Offices,
10, Rue de la Fidélité, Paris, in the Empire of France, and 4, South Street,
Finsbury, London, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fourteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, Her special license that I,
the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors; adminis
trators, and assigns, or such. others as I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de
Fontaine Moreau, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MUSICAL

page_text: INSTRUMENTS KNOWN BY THE NAMES OF ORGANINO, ANGÉLOPHONE, AND HARMONIUM,
WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO OTHER SIMILAR INSTRUMENTS," com-
municated to me from Monsieur Pierre Dupland, a person resident at Paris,
in the Empire of France, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine Moreau, my executors or admi-
nistrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand (and seal, or under
the hand and seal of one of them, should particularly describe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
;
:
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement, reference being had to the
Drawing hereto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon,
that is to say-
The Invention communicated to me consists of certain improvements in the
instruments known by the names of organino, angélophone, and harmonium...
Instead of placing the case of the instrument on separate supports as usual,
I fix it on two side panels (which may be terminated by brackets) and, on a
back panel, the latter being grooved to receive a curtain like the organ or
piano. By this arrangement, not only the form of the instrument is varied,
but the case has a firmer footing with increased dimensions which greatly
augments. the tone of the instrument.
Until now the key board of these kinds of instruments has been open. I
apply to them a folding cover which serves also to hold the music similar to
that of an organ or piano, and which preserves the instrument from dust, and
permits of cutting openings in the panel or address bar, and of making it
moveable so as to let out the sound from the instrument more freely; this
panel or address bar is inclined from the point where it touches the keys, so
that it presents no obstacle to the fingers when playing the black keys.
Instead of supporting the key board on pivots, as is usual, I fix it in front of
the case by hinges so that it can fold down in front, and draw out with it the
sound board which is thus more easily tuned. The single or double action
pump is here applied as in the ordinary instruments, and the reservoir can act
vertically or horizontally.
The nature, however, of these improvements, and the advantages to be
derived therefrom, will be better understood by reference to the accompanying

page_text: j
Drawing, in which Figure 1 is a front view of the improved instrument, and
Figures 2 and 3 side elevations of same, the instrument being shown in
open
Figures 1 and 3, and closed in Figure 2. Instead of placing the case a on
separate supports, as has been the case until now, it is fixed on the two side
panels b, c, terminated or not by the brackets e, and on the back panel d sunk
in the centre to receive, like the organ or piano, a curtain l. The object of
this arrangement is not only to vary the form. of the standing of the article,
but also to set the case more firmly, and to give it a dimension which greatly
increases the tone of the instrument. In all instruments of this kind the key
board has always been visible, and consequently within reach of every one.
I apply a folding cover f, which also serves to hold music similar to that of
the organ or piano; this addition preserves the instrument from dust and
from unpractised hands, and permits of cutting openings 'in the panel or
address bar g, and making it moveable so as to let out the sound from the
instrument when played more freely, and this said panel or address bar g, in
place of being quite vertical, may be inclined from the point where it touches
the keys, as shewn by the red lines, Figure 2, by which arrangement the
fingers of the player, when playing on the black keys, will encounter no
obstacle from the vertical board; the execution is thus rendered more easy.
This panel g can be removed at will, by which the tone of the instrument may
be increased so as to permit of it being played in accompaniment with a
piano. The pivots for supporting the key board, and which are generally
placed on each side, are not used in this arrangement, the key board j being
fixed in front of the case by the hinges i, Figure 1, so that it folds down on
the front of the case a in drawing out with it the sound board, which is thus
more easily tuned; the sound board is in this case placed in a vertical
line, but it may be placed flat. The single or double action pump is here
applied as in the ordinary instruments, and the reservoir can act vertically or
horizontally.
Having thus fully described the nature of the said Invention, and the
means of performing the same, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise details herein laid down; but what I claim and
wish to be secured by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
"
Firstly, the application to harmoniums and other similar musical instru-
ments of solid panels and of a folding cover, in the manner and for the purposes
herein-before described and shewn in the accompanying Drawing.
Secondly, the horizontal or inclined arrangement of the address bar, the said
bar being also moveable.
"
Thirdly, the system of joint for permitting the unfolding of the key board

page_text: and its lowering in the front of the case, as herein-before described and shown
in the Drawing hereto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Peter Armand Le Comte de Fontaine
Moreau, have hereunto set my hand and seal, this Seventh day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four.
Witness,
HY. GILBEE,
10, Rue de la Fidélité,
Paris.
L. DE FONTAINEMOREAU. (L.S.)