IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS
Year: 1874

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by James Baillie Hamilton, George
Edward Wade, and Richard William Okes Voysey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd
December 1874.
We, JAMES BAILLIE HAMILTON, of University College, Oxford,
Esquire, GEORGE EDWARD WADE, of Soho Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Esquire, and RICHARD WILLIAM OKES VOYSEY, of Hamp.
stead, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF
ORGANS," to be as follows:-
"
Our Invention consists of the combination of apparatus herein-after
described, for the purpose of constructing a new kind of organ which we
call "a string organ.' The notes of this instrument are due to the
combination of "free reeds" and strings, and the instrument is con-
structed in the manner herein-after described.
In this Specification we use the word "free reed" in its technical
sense, as understood by organ builders and harmonium makers, viz., a
flat rod or tongue vibrating from a root and having a definite pitch apart

page_text: from its connection with a string or other sounding substance.
Moreover these tongues may be tuned by a clip or tuning wire which
shortens or lengthens their free portions. In the free reed this tongue
can pass through the opening over which it is set, but sometimes in our
organ the vibrations are so small that it is not necessary for the tongue
to be smaller than the opening. In either case the whole of the tongue
need not be exposed to the draught of the opening. More than one reed
may be employed to act upon such a string as is next herein-after
described.
=
- By "string" we mean what is techincally known as a string, i. e., one
vibrating between points of attachment at either end and tuned by -
tension, whether it be modified as a wire band or coil (the coil being
formed of a flattened metal string wound upon a core or mandril which
is withdrawn from it before use), and such strings may be used double
or treble, as in the pianoforte, forming a compound note. Such strings
and reeds can be in different levels and at different angles to each other,
but where the length of the reed is parallel to the length of the string
the danger of the reeds tongue jarring is avoided.
The advantage of applying a reed transversely to a string is that there
is then no limit to the approximation of the strings, whereas in the other
case they cannot be approximated closer than the parallel arrangement
of reeds allows. Being in different levels to cach other they are
combined by a rigid rod, pin, or projection, starting from the free part of
the reed, and being perpendicular or at any angle to it, rivetted, bound,
screwed, soldered, or otherwise fastened at either extremity, or hinged at
either extremity, or this projection may be modified down to mere
contact of string and reed so long as jarring is avoided. This projection
may also be a flexible spring whether flattened or helical. The reed
being on a different level to the string and apart from it, may be
connected by the most suitable of these modes when occupying the
position usual in the "registers" of harmoniums and American organs,
or when attached to pipes or channels that reinforce it.
The draught of air is regulated by the usual system of "pallets" or
valves, but as in the case of harmoniums the pallet follows the reed and
may be applied to any part of the channel; this necessitates the
connection being conducted through this channel and passing through
its outer surface. Accordingly to preserve this channel air-tight, the

page_text: hole through which the connection passes is closed by a membrane or
purse or modified bellows which surrounds the connecting pin. Where
this is inconvenient the pallet is made to precede the reed and is kept
from contact with it by a channel, which may be suited to give
resonance to the reeds, or the series of strings may be covered by a case
which will correspond to the common cavity of, a harmonium register, so
that the ordinary harmonium arrangement may remain unaltered, or a
reed arranged in any of the above modes and connected with a string
may be reinforced by hollow resonators or covered by screens as in
existing reed instruments, the string being also on a different level to the
reed, and apart from it may be thus connected while retaining its usual
arrangements and advantages as regards sound boards or "bellies."
Having defined the sense in which we employ the terms reed and
string, and the modes in which we intend to connect them, we now
proceed to describe the construction of a single "stop" entering into the
construction of this organ. In such a "stop" the pallet damper and
exciter of cach note is connected with a key or pedal by the system of
trachers, stickers, squares, and other contrivances now employed in
organs.
A "stop" consists of a scrics of notes of the same quality afforded by
the combination of a reed and string as above described, and these notes
are arranged as follows:-The reeds are arranged in a series as in the
harmonium or other similar reed instruments. From the free part of
each reed proceeds any of the means of attachment. A string as above
defined is connected with this attachment. Accordingly there is formed
a series of parallel strings presenting the usual appearance of a series of
strings in a musical instrument. Either or both ends of such strings
rest on a bridge, or block, or staple, peculiar to themselves or common to
a whole series, and this bridge may be in connection with a sound board
1 common to a whole series, and be in all such respects similar to strings
of other instruments.
The sound board or belly may be one surface as in the pianoforto or
enclose air as in the case of a violin.
"
The strings as usual are kept in tension by a framework and wrest

page_text: The "register" containing the reeds is applied to the series of strings
at, the point required, the spaces between the strings being identical with
spaces between the reed attachments. The framework of this harp or
serics is constructed to receive and support this register at any point;
this point deviating from the centre to the end of the strings, according
to the result required. Wind is admitted to this register by one or more
"trunks."
"
Having described the general form and construction of a "stop," we
now describe the action of the individual notes of which it is composed.
As each stop has a separate quality we proceed to describe the action
of any string and the results obtainable from it. On taking any given
string and applying a certain reed in any of the above modes, the string
when in vibration may describe what is known as a single segment."
But by another relation of reed and string other segments may appear
besides that in which the reed lies. These will appear on either or both
sides of the "reed segments," according as the reed's position approxi-
mates to the centre or end of the string. These segments are bounded
by nodes or still points, they are equal to each other, they also afford a
pitch equal to the reed segment, supplying thereby an extra fundamental
reinforcement to it. The quality of the reed segment is determined by
the predominance of the reed or string therein, and the reed element
may be further reinforced or suppressed by the channels, tubes, screens,
enclosures, and coverings ordinarily applied to free reeds.
When a string vibrates in a single segment its quality is determined
in the same way though there are no re-enforcing segments.
When the separate notes necessary to compose a given stop have been
thus determined on a tuning board or apparatus, a harp and register is
prepared to receive the series of reeds and strings so ascertained and
form together a "stop " of a string organ. In all cases the reed is
regulated by a "pallet" as above described. If in its own segment the
reed be insufficient to excite immediate sound, any known mode of
percussion or friction or plucking may be applied to the reed or string.
The same tracker or sticker which opens the pallet can control this
sticker, as also the damper and the draught admitted to the rced by the
pallet may be used to impel the striker against the reed or string.
Another mode of exciting a segment is by allowing the air which
feeds the bellows to be absorbed or expelled past the string, and

page_text: ΟΙ 10.
..
In cases where the resolving of the string into nodes and segments
might cause it to hesitate in sounding, the string is so resolved artificially
by setting what is known as a damper at the nodes which terminate the
segments. This damper must be of sufficient resistance to control the
nodo and yet of sufficient softness to prevent jarring. But we find the
most convenient form of damper to be a cord or band stretched at the
required clasticity across the node and connected firmly with it so as not
to jar, and as the series can be arranged so that the nodes form a
continuous line, one cord can be extended in connection with them all.
This cord is also useful in communicating a sympathetic vibration from
string to string and so accelerating quickness of speech.
As regards preservation of tuning, where the use of coils as strings is
precluded, we gain a means of compensation by using a compensating
coil beyond the bridge fixed to the string, either at the end or any
intermediate part.
We have now described the general appearance and arrangement of a
stop and the action of the notes which compose it.
The wind is conveyed to the reed register by one or more trunks
proceeding from a pressure or suction reservoir or from the feeders of
them, affording what is known as expression, and is admitted from either
of them by a valve regulated by a draw stop. These trunks and the
bellows are according to the present use in organs.
We now proceed to describe the modes of combining and arranging
such stops. Such a stop may be vertical or horizontal and may
constitute by itself a complete instrument (connected with its own keys
or pedals), or may be connected with the keys or pedals of another
instrument by means already known, and where several such stops are
combined to form an organ they may succeed each other in horizontal or
vertical ranks, being supported in their position by the framework of tho
instrument.