A New or Improved Musical Instrument.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 25th June, 1391
Complete Specification Left, 9th Feb., 1892--Accepted, 9th Apr., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Musical Instrument.
I, PIERRE PEYNAUD, of Taillan par Eysines, Gironde, in the Republic of
France, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
•
The musical instrument which forms the subject of the present invention is
provided either with two, three, or four strings, and is played by an ordinary
violoncello bow held in the right hand, whilst with the left hand the keys of a key-
board are depressed as required.
Assuming that four strings are to be used, their centre part, or the part which is
subject to pressure, should be of the same strength in all the first or fundamental
note of each string should be produced when the tension is equal to all the four
strings.
The body of an ordinary viola, violin, or violoncello, is supported in a horizontal
position on a stand, and is provided with a neck having a finger board in the usual
of the usual kind for tightening the strings.
way, and pegs
A vertical bar carries at its upper end the tail piece to which the strings are
attached, and at its lower end below the instrument a stay, the other end of which
passes through a support under the neck and is screwed and fitted with a nut by
which the tension of the strings is balanced and the rigidity of the entire apparatus
maintained. Above the finger board is arranged a case rectangular in form and
having an opening which can be closed by a hinged cover, through which access is
had to transverse keys fitted in it above the strings and by which the latter are
pressed down upon the finger board as required.
Each key is connected below with levers by which a transverse bridge having
pressure pieces suspended below it is depressed when the key is lowered, so that the
pressure pieces press upon all the four strings, a corresponding transverse strip
below the strings being at the same time raised by the levers so that the four
strings are firmly held between the latter and the pressure pieces. A spring brings
back the levers to their original position and sets the strings free when pressure
upon the key is removed..
The instrument may be provided with any desired number of keys.
D
AT1001
EDWARDS & Co.,
35, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applic
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A New or Improved Musical Instrument.
I PIERRE PEYNAUD, of Le Taillan, Department de Gironde, France, Priest.
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in musical instruments and consists of an
instrument of peculiar construction which term claviviole and which may be
provided with two, three, or four strings. It is played by holding an ordinary
violoncello bow in the right hand and by depressing with the left hand the keys of
a key board. This instrument differs from the and other similar instruments:
1. By the arrangement of the strings; 2. By its mechanism and fundamental

page_text: principle, for in other instruments the movable strings are depressed by a firm
pressure, while in the claviriole, the fixed cords are on the contrary pinched by an
arrangement of bridges and movable dampers; 3. By the formation of articulations
in the dampers; 4. By the interval of an octave which separates each string this
enabling two cords to be simultaneously vibrated and to produce the effect of two
instruments playing together at an octave.
The strings are arranged in the following manner:
The four strings would have their central or strain supporting parts of even
strength the first or fundamental note of each string placed upon the instru-
ment must be obtained at the time when the tension is the same for the four
strings.
This result is easily attained by using for the three last strings, the first string
spun with more or less thick copper wire. The following shows by way of
example the mode of manufacturing these strings by means of a steel string of
30 millimetres.
1st string or violin tone, steel wire of 30 m/m.
2nd string or alto tone tune to the octave of the first.
a) Steel wire of 30 m/m.
b) Slight layer of glue on the steel.
e) Copper wire of 20 m/m spun with the steel.
3rd string or violoncello tone tuned to the octave of the 2nd.
a) Same steel wire of 30 m/m.
b) Slight layer of glue.
c) Copper wire of 35 m/m spun with the whole.
4th string or double bass tone tuned to the octave of the third.
a) Same steel wire of 30 m/m.
6) Slight layer of glue.
e) Copper wire of 20 m/m covered with silk.
d) Spun copper wire of 5 m/m.
e) Same copper wire re-spun upon the whole of 7 m/m.
1st Remark. By proceeding in a similar manner the series of the four strings
can be produced upon any first string (steel silk or gut).
2nd Remark. The equal tension of the 4 strings gives the same intensity of
sound to cach string.
3rd Remark. The spinning and re-spinning of a string does not particularly
increase its tenacity, hence a double bass string produced in the measure above
stated can be stretched upon a violin without there being any fear of breaking the
instrument or to find too great a resistance to the action of the bow.
Claviviole with three strings. The same tune may be played upon this
instrument with seven different tones.
1st tone, first string or violin; 2nd tone, second string or alto; 3rd tone, third
string or violoncello; 4th tone, fourth string or double bass; 5th tone, violin
and alto together; 6th tone, alto and violoncello; 7th tone, violoncello and
double bass.
In the accompanying drawings
Fig. 1 is an elevation of the instrument.
O is the ordinary body of the alto or any other similar body either smaller or
larger. A is a scroll fixed in the ordinary way to the alto and screwed to the case
of the mechanism. G is the mechanism to stretch the strings, that is to say, the
keys or tightening screws with toothed wheels actuated by an endless screw.
R is
a sound-block fixed to the case like the neck of a violin. V metallic rod fixed at
one end to the block R and operated by a nut; this rod counteracts the tension of
the strings and assists thus in maintaining the rigidity of the handle and of the case
or body. V is an ordinary alto string holding device.
B is a small board mounted upon the hinges D and held in a vertical position by
the hooks c. It is lowered in order to disclose the internal mechanism. Kare
small boards fixed to the cover and closing the empty space at both ends. E upper

page_text: cover consisting of three small boards connected by minges.
key board.
transposer for the
The key board shown in the drawings consists of thirty notes and extends from F
to B natural, but by lengthening the case containing the mechanism fresh notes
may be added or the key board and the sound of each string may be arranged to
start with a given note. P foot of the instrument.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the instrument showing the mechanism of each note
at rest. A' is the key board, B' the lever formed of a metallic blade. The damper
consists of a lever C, a wooden piece articulated at S, a wooden piece a articulated
at upon and nipping the first two strings a wooden piece al jointed at upon
and nipping the last two strings, of a bridge El having a protuberance at d to
support the two middle strings e are the strings, ha spring, D₁ an iron or copper
rod passing through the extremity of the bridges and of the dampers in order to
hold them in their respective positions.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 2 showing the mechanism of each note
in operation.
When the key A' is depressed, it acts upon the lever B1 and on the lever C
which is depressed upon the bridge E. In this manner the pieces a and a nip
owing to their joints S, and the four strings at once. The spring brings
the mechanism back into its position of rest as soon as the key ceases to be
depressed.
The damper and the bridge are bevelled, the first to the left, and the second to
the right in order to better nip the string.
Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section below the key board. C are the dampers super-
posed upon the bridges. B are levers or metallic blades arranged at equal
intervals upon a line X. X. to receive the keys of the key board. are springs
and P is the foot of the instrument.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of the mechanism of the clavi viole with three
strings. It does not differ materially from the above described instrument, the
only difference being that one string and a joint in the damper are dispensed
with.
The latter consists of a lever C, a wooden piece b jointed at S and nipping the
third string at a', a wooden piece a jointed at i and nipping the two first strings.
E is the bridge.
In the claviviole with three strings, the latter may be arranged according to
requirements as follows: Violin, alto, violoncello, or alto, violoncello, double
bass.
The instrument is the same for the two arrangements. The same tune may be
played with five different tones.
Fig. 6 is a horizontal section of the claviviole with two strings.
The instrument is made with four strings, but the performer fixes the strings
according as desired to obtain one of the following combinations. 1. Alto and
violin. 2. Alto and violoncello. 3. Violoncello and double bass.
It only differs from the one instrument by the number of strings and of joints in
the damper. The latter consists of a lever C, a wooden piece b jointed at S and
nipping the strings. E' is the bridge.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. A musical instrument consisting of an alto or other case or body O, a
bandle A, a sound-block R, a strengthening rod V, a string-holding device V, a
key board F and a bridge E' with protuberance, substantially as herein described
and shown and for the purpose set forth.
2. The parts above claimed in combination with the keys A', the levers B¹
and C, the jointed pieces b, a and a', the rod D₁, the spring h, and the harmonic

page_text: strings of steel, silk or gut, substantially as herein described and shown and for
the purpose set forth.
Dad thie 0th dor of January 180°
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.