IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS AND FREE-REED INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1853

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry Willis, of Manchester Street, in the
County of Middlesex, Organ Builder, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS AND FREE-REED
INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 12th May 1854, and dated the 14th November 1853.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry Willis at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 14th November 1853.
I, HENRY WILLIS, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS AND FREE-REED
INSTRUMENTS" to be as follows:-
This Invention relates, firstly, to an improvement on what is known
as the pneumatic lever, the object being to improve its action by
preventing the lever, after it has overcome the resistance of the pres-
sure of air upon the valves of the organ, from being thrown with
force against the check at present provided to receive its impulse. To
this end I admit the wind to the bellows of the pneumatic lever

page_text: through a passage governed by a disc valve, carried by a rod pendent
from the vibrating part of the bellows, and when sufficient wind to
overcome the resistance of the valves of the organ pipes has passed into
the bellows, I cause the valve of the pendent rod to rise and close the
air passage. By this means I am enabled to supply the bellows with
the exact amount of air required to force open the valves and thereby
to produce a noiseless check.
The Invention refers, secondly, to an improvement on what is known
as the tremulant," which by giving off air from the wind trunk by
pulsations, causes all the pipes connected therewith to give out when
speaking a tremulant sound. Instead of the vent for the wind from
the wind trunk to the tremulant bellows being commanded by an inner
valve, the vent is always open, and the pressure of the wind is therefore
always upon the bellows. As a counteraction to this force springs are
provided, which press upon the vibrating part of the bellows, their
action increasing in intensity as they are compressed by the expansion
of the bellows. The screw stop, which determines the limit of the
bellows action, presses upon the air escape valve of the bellows, which
valve is always held in contact with the screw by reason of the upward
pressure of the air on its inner surface. Connected to the screw stop
is an arın, which is capable of being acted upon by a pedal, placed
conveniently for the performer in front of the instrument. When
the tremulant is not in action the screw stop (which has a quick
screw) presses on the bellows and prevents them from moving. In
order to set the tremulant in action it is only necessary for, the per-
former to raise the screw stop, the bellows valve will then rise, and
with it the bellows; but when the bellows has risen sufliciently high to
compress the springs which bear upon it and render that pressure
superior to the pressure of the wind, the bellows will be forced down
and air will pass out at the valve. The expansion of the springs will
how render the pressure of air in the wind chest superior to that of the
Springs, and thus alternately the two antagonistic forces will have the
mastery and permit of the escape of the air in pulsations. The
tremulant effect thus produced may be heightened or diminished at
pleasure by the performer raising or lowering the screw stop. The

page_text: metal vibrator, which usually forms part of the tremulant, may in this
case be dispensed with, or if used must be attached to the vibrating*
part of the bellows.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Henry Willis in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 13th May 1854.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
HENRY WILLIS, of Manchester Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Organ Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date, the Fourteenth day of November, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, in the
seventeenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Henry Willis, Her special
licence that I, the said Henry Willis, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said Henry Willis, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at 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
THE CONSTRUCTION OF ORGANS AND FREE-REED INSTRUMENTS," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said Henry Willis, by an instru-
ment in writing under my hand and seal, 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 imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Henry Willis, do hereby declaro
the nature of my 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 hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, (that is to say):

page_text: This Invention relates, firstly, to an improvement on what is known
to organ builders as the pneumatic lever, the object being to improve
its action by preventing the lever, after it has overcome the resistance
of the pressure of air upon the valves of the organ, from being thrown
with force against the check at present provided to receive its impulse.
To this end I admit the wind to the bellows of the pneumatic lever
through a passage governed by a throttle valve, carried by a rod pendent
from the vibrating part of the bellows, and I so adjust this valve that
when sufficient wind to overcome the resistance of the valves of the
organ pipes has passed into the bellows, the throttle valve will rise and
close the air passage. By this means I am enabled to supply the
bellows with the exact amount of air required to force open the valves
of the organ pipes, and by cutting off the supply immediately this end
is attained, to produce as a consequence a noiseless check.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents in longitudinal
sectional elevation a pneumatic lever fitted with my improvement.
a, is the wind chest, from which the air escapes on the depression of
the valve to a chamber in communication with the bellows d.
Through the lever or movable head of this bellows passes a rod or
wire e, which carries at its lower end a disc valve f, which governs
the passage for the air from the chamber c to the bellows. This rod or
wire e is tapped to receive at its lower end two leather nuts g, g, which
embrace the valve f, and hold it in any required position on the rod.
The top of the rod is bent over to receive the extremity of a strong
spring carried by the lever d", and intended to press down the valve
as the bellows falls. The valve is lifted by the lever d as it rises,
bearing against the under side of a button i on the upper part of the
rode. Supposing, now, that it is desired to throw the pneumatic lever
into action, the player will depress the valve b, and let in air from the
wind chest to the chamber c, the air will thence pass to the bellows, and
as the lever drises it will carry with it the throttle valve f, which as
it nears its seat will gradually contract the air passage and diminish the
supply of air. When therefore the valve touches the seat it will do so
silently, and the supply of air to the bellows being thus gradually cut
off, the lever d will, after having overcome the resistance of the

page_text: organ valves, move silently and comparatively slowly to the end of its
vibration.
This Invention refers, secondly, to an improvement on what is known
as the "tremulant," which by giving off air from the wind trunk by
pulsations, causes all the pipes connected therewith to give out when
speaking a tremulant sound. The object which I desire to attain by
this part of my Invention is to vary the action of the tremulant by
enabling the performer to increase or diminish the intensity of its pulsa-
tions, according to the expression which the music requires. For this
purpose, instead of the vent for the wind from the wind trunk to the
tremulant bellows being commanded by an inner valve, as in the ordi-
nary construction of tremulant, I leave the vent open, and permit the
wind to press continuously upon the bellows. As a counteraction to
this force I provide springs, which press upon the vibrating part or
movable bed of the bellows, and with an increasing intensity as they
are compressed by the expansion of the bellows. The limit of the
bellows action is determined by a stop which presses upon the air escape
valve of the bellows, which valve is always held in contact with the stop
by the pressure of air on its inner surface. This stop I connect with
pedal placed conveniently for the performer in front of the instru-
ment, and by means of the pedal I render the stop adjustable.
a
In the Drawing Figures 2 and 3 represent one mode of carrying out
this part of my Invention, Fig. 2 being a longitudinal section of the
improved tremulant, and Fig. 3 a cross section of the same. a, is the
wind chest; b, the bellows; and 6, the valve of the bellows; c, is a
frame attached to the wind chest, and intended to carry the moveable
stop d for bearing against the valve * and regulating the action of the
tremulant. The stop & in this instance consists of a quick screw, but
a cam or other analogous contrivance might be employed to effect the
like object. Affixed to the head of the screw is an arm e, which when
the tremulant is required to act is caused to turn the screw a portion of
a revolution, and thereby raise or lower it in its bearing. This motion
is transmitted by the performer to the arm e through the agency of
a pedal and an ordinary arrangement of squares and trackers, as will
be well understood by organ builders. f. f. are springs interposed

page_text: between the head of the frame c and the bellows, and intended as the
bellows rise to offer a gradually increasing resistance to their upward
movement, and thereby to counteract the upward pressure of the air,
and cause the movable head of the bellows to vibrate rapidly under the
action of the two contending forces. When the tremulant is not
required to act the screw stop will press on, the valve of the bellows and
prevent the bellows from moving. In order to set the tremulant in
action it is only necessary for the performer to raise the stop to a slight
degree, the bellows valve will then rise and with it the bellows; but
when the bellows has risen sufficiently high to compress the springs
which bear upon it and render that pressure superior to the pressure of
.the wind, the bellows will be forced down and air will pass out at the
valve. The expansion of the springs will now render the pressure of
air in the wind chest superior to that of the springs, and thus alternately
the two antagonistic forces will have the mastery and permit of the
escape of the air in pulsations. It will now be understood that this
tremulant effect may be heightened or diminished at pleasure by the
performer raising or lowering the screw stop. The metal vibrator which
usually forms part of the tremulant may in this case be dispensed with,
.or if used must be attached to the vibrating part of the bellows.
Instead of removing the valve which cuts off the supply of air from
the bellows of the tremulant, I may find it desirable to retain it in
organs where the pressure of air in the wind chest is light, and large
quantities, of air are used.
The above-described improvement I also propose to apply to
seraphines and to free-reed instruments generally, whenever the capa-
bilities of the instrument may warrant the introduction of pneumatic
levers and tremulants.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of " Improvements
in the Construction of Organs and Free-reed Instruments," and ex-
plained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,
first, the application to pneumatic levers of a throttle valve for govern-
ing the supply of air to the bellows.
And, secondly, I claim applying to the valve of the tremulant a

page_text: movable stop capable of being actuated by the performer for the purpose
of increasing and diminishing the intensity of the pulsation of the
tremulant while the organ is in action.
In witness whercof, I, the said Henry Willis, have hereunto set
my hand and scal, the Thirteenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
HENRY WILLIS. (L.S.)