IMPROVEMENTS IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Macfarlane, of Draycott Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Professor of Music, William Edward Newton, of the Office
for Patents, 66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil
Engineer, and Richard Carte, of Charing Cross, in the City of West-
minster, Musical Instrument Maker, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Macfarlane,
William Edward Newton, and Richard Carte at the Office of the Com-
missioners of Patents, with their Petition, on the 3rd December 1860.
We, GEORGE MACFARLANE, of Draycott Street, in the County of Middlesex,
Professor of Music, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents,
66, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and RICHARD,
CARTE, of Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical Instrument.
Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS.
IN WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to-be as follows:―
Our Invention of improvements in wind musical instruments has for its.
objects, first, to construct these instruments in such a manner that the tone of:
certain notes: which have heretofore been defective and unsatisfactory, and
also the general tone of the instrument, may be improved, and at the same:
time greater facility in playing difficult passages be given.
Another improvement has for its object to construct these instruments. in.

page_text: such a manner that the sounds emitted from the bell may be modified in
power, and (at the will of the performer) may be diverted or thrown in any
direction that may be required for more effectually hearing the instrument at
a distance.
Our first improvement relates more particularly to the means of improving
the tone of only certain defective notes produced by wind instruments, but
will have the effect of improving the general tone of these instruments; and,
first, as regards ophicleides and keyed instruments of that class, the usual
mode of construction is for some of the keys to close the holes, while other keys
leave certain other holes open when the instrument is in a quiescent state, and
the required notes are produced by opening some holes and leaving others
closed. This arrangement, as is well known, has the effect of producing very
imperfect tones for some notes, and in order to remove these imperfections
and to improve the general quality or tone of the instrument, we propose to
so arrange the keys of this class of instrument that all the holes shall be
uncovered when the instrument is in a quiescent state, and in order to produce
any given note of the fundamental series, corresponding keys are made to
close the proper holes, leaving all the holes below open.
In valve or piston instruments in which certain of the notes are produced by
causing the column of air to pass through longer or shorter additional tubes by
opening passages thereto by means of valves or pistons, the defective notes
are improved by producing them in a different way to that heretofore adopted.
In order to produce some notes, such for instance as C sharp below the
lines on valve or piston instruments of the ordinary construction, it is necessary
to open all the valves, thereby throwing all the additional tubes into use, and
consequently unduly lengthening the main tube. The effect of this is to
produce a weak and very imperfect note. Instead of producing a sharp by
temporarily lengthening the tube as is now the case, and which is in fact the
theoretical and proper principle for lowering the tone, we adapt another valve
or piston to some convenient part of the main tube of the instrument in such a
manner as to cut off a length of the main tube equal to a semitone, so that in
order to produce C sharp or G sharp, the player will only be required to blow
the open notes C or G natural, and then sharpen the tone by means of the
cut-off valve or piston instead of blowing a much higher note, and then
lowering the tone to the desired-pitch or tone as heretofore:
:.
By the use of this additional valve and piston considerable facility will also
be afforded to the performer in playing chromatic passages, and in making
shakes, and the necessity., for cross-fingering will, to a great extent; if not
entirely, be obviated. We would remark that the adaptation of this additional

page_text: valve or piston to the instrument does not necessarily involve any alteration
in the fingering of the instrument, as it may, if desired, be placed with the
old system of fingering, and the additional valve need only be used at the
will or discretion of the performer, who will be enabled to avail himself of it
by degrees as he becomes accustomed to it.
Our next improvement consists in adapting to the bell of brass wind instru-
ments simple contrivances, whereby the tone may be modified, that is increased
or diminished in power, so as to produce a kind of swell, or the sound may be
thrown in any desired direction. A variety of forms of parts whereby these
objects may be effected may be devised, and must necessarily vary in some
measure according to the particular form of instrument to which the contri-
vance is intended to be applied. One of the objects which we desire to effect
by means of this improvement is to throw the sound in any direction. To
this end the bell of the instrument is bent over so as to throw the sound out
at right angles to the main tube, and this bent part is made moveable on the
fixed part, so that it may be turned round in either direction.
Instead of making only the bell of the instrument moveable, an obvious
modification is to make a joint over the main tube much nearer the mouth-
piece, and then cause the main part of the instrument to turn on this joint.
For some kinds of instruments, we adapt to the end of the bell a moveable
cap, hood, or concave disc, which; if desired, may be made capable of being
turned round on the bell. This latter contrivance does not involve any alter-
ation in the construction or form of the bell, and may be readily adapted to
instruments constructed in the usual manner. By adopting either of these
contrivances, it will be understood that when a band provided with our im-
proved instruments is marching at the head of a regiment, the cap, hood, or
dise may be turned round to the front, and the sound from the bell of the
instrument will then be thrown back over the heads of the soldiers who are
following, and the men at the rear will then be enabled to hear the band, and
consequently to keep step or time therewith.
By placing in the interior of the bell, or near its mouth, a kind of mute
consisting of a concavo-convex disc with a central hole or aperture, and
mounted on a hinge-joint, the strength of tone of the instrument may be
modified so as to be able to produce, by opening or closing the disc, the effect
of a swell, or crescendo and diminuendo. The opening and closing of the disc
is effected by means of a lever or equivalent mechanical contrivance worked
by one of the fingers of the left hand. By entirely closing the disc the latter
will act as a mute, and the effect of an echo may be produced thereby, or by
gradually closing or opening the same a swell will be produced.

page_text: A modification of this contrivance consists in adapting to the bell a mute
of somewhat different form, consisting of two perforated plates, which are
made to slide one on the other, and so arranged that when the plates are in
one position the holes or perforations therein will coincide, and allow the air
and sound to pass through, but when the plates are made to slide over one
another, the holes will be gradually closed or opened as the case may be, and
a swell or diminuendo and crescendo will be thereby produced. The move-
ments of the plates may be effected with the left hand through the intervention
of levers and springs, or other equivalent contrivances as in the former
instance, and it is important to notice that these contrivances to be adapted to
the bell of the instruments should be so constructed and arranged that they
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said George Macfarlane, William Edward Newton, and Richard
Carte in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd June 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, GEORGE
MACFARLANE, of Draycott Street, in the County of Middlesex, Professor of
Music, WILLIAM EDWARD NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 66, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, and RICHARD CARTE, of
Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Musical Instrument Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
George Macfarlane, William Edward Newton, and Richard Carte, Her special
license that we, the said George Macfarlane, William Edward Newton, and
Richard Carte, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as
we, the said George Macfarlane, William Edward Newton, and Richard
Carte, our 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 WIND MUSICAL
INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said George
Macfarlane, William Edward Newton, and Richard Carte, by an instrument in
writing under our hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain

page_text: 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 we, the said George Macfarlane, William Edward
Newton, and Richard Carte, do hereby declare the nature of our said Inven-
tion, 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):-
.
:-
Our Invention of improvements in wind musical instruments has for its
objects, first, to construct these instruments in such a manner that the tone of
certain notes which have heretofore been defective and unsatisfactory, and also
the general tone of the instrument may be improved, and at the same time
greater facility in playing difficult passages be given.
Another improvement has for its object to construct these instruments in.
such a manner that the sounds emitted from the bell may be modified in
power, and (at the will of the performer) may be diverted or thrown in any
direction that may be required for more effectually hearing the instrument at
a distance.
Our first improvement relates to the means of improving the tune of certain
defective notes produced by wind instruments. The improvements will have
the effect of improving the general tone of these instruments; and, first, as
regards ophicleides and keyed instruments of that class, such as key bugles
and serpents, the usual mode of construction is for some of the keys to close
the holes, while other keys leave certain other holes open when the instrument.
is in a quiescent state, and the required notes are produced by opening some.
holes and leaving others closed. This arrangement, as is well known, has
the effect of producing very imperfect tones for some notes, and in order to
remove these imperfections, and to improve the general quality of tone of the
instrument, we propose to so arrange the keys of, this class of instrument, that
all the holes shall be uncovered when the instrument is in a quiescent state,.
and in order to produce any given note of the fundamental series, corre-
sponding keys are made to close the proper holes, leaving all the holes below
open:
t
In the accompanying Drawing, we have shewn at Fig. 1, by way of example,
an ophicleide constructed upon the improved plan, but the same principle of
construction is applicable to key bugles, serpents, and ophicleides of various
pitch. In their normal state all the holes in instruments of this class are to

page_text: be kept open by means of springs applied to the keys in the well-known
manner of making the open keys in other keyed wind instruments. In order
to produce the lowest note on the instrument B, for instance, as in Fig. 1, all
the holes must be closed by depressing all the keys, so that all the air con-
tained in the tube: may be set in vibration. And in order to produce the
highest note of the fundamental series B in Fig. 1, all the holes must be
opened so as to allow the air free vent to escape. The Figure in the
Drawings is intended. to shew the principle upon which instruments of this
class are to be constructed, rather than the precise arrangement of the keys,
which as well as the mode of operating them, will depend upon the kind of
instrument, and must to a certain extent be left to the discretion and intelli-
gence of the manufacturer; we will therefore only further say, that on each
key in the Figure is marked the name of the note the hole is intended to
represent when the instrument is sounded. And in order to produce any
desired note in the fundamental series, all the holes corresponding to notes
above the note intended to be sounded, must be closed by depressing their
keys, the holes corresponding to notes lower in the scale being left open: ....
Our next improvement relates to valve or piston instruments in which
certain of the notes are produced by causing the column of air to pass through
longer or shorter additional tubes by opening passages thereto by means of
valves or pistons..
According to our Invention the defective notes are improved by producing
them in a different way to that heretofore adopted. In order to produce some
notes, such, for instance, as C sharp, below the lines on valve or piston instru-
ments of the ordinary construction, it is necessary: to lower the instrument
equal to six semitones, to produce which effect all the valves must be opened,
thereby throwing all the additional tubes into use, and consequently lengthening
the main tube equal to six semitones of tubing, that is, lowering the instru-
ment from G natural to C sharp. The effect of this is to produce a weak and
very imperfect note. Instead of producing a sharp of any note by temporarily
lengthening the tube as is nw the case, and which is in fact the theoretical
and proper principle for lowering the tone, we adapt another valve or
piston to some convenient part of the main tube of the instrument in such a
manner as to enable the performer. to cut off a length of the main tube equal
to a semitone, so that in order to produce C sharp or G sharp, or a semitone
above any open note, the player will only be required to blow the open notes C,
G, or other natural note, and then sharpen the tone by means of the cut-off
valve or piston..
.
:
...:.
In the accompanying Drawing we have shewn one arrangement of parts

page_text: whereby the above object may be effected, but we do not intend to confine
ourselves thereto.
'
Fig. 2 is a side view of a piston tube to which two of our improvements are
applied. The parts. marked a, a, indicate the main tube, and b is the mouth-
piece of the instrument; c is the bell which is moveable, and will be hereafter
more particularly referred to; d, d, are the ordinary additional tubes. for
producing certain notes by temporarily lengthening the main tube as is, well
known; d', d', d', are the piston cylinders, whereby. these tubes are brought
into use when required; e is a cylindrical or rotary valve attached to the main
tube a in such a manner as to admit of a portion of such tube a, equal to one
semitome, being cut off when required; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the
cylindrical or rotary valve e adapted to a portion of the main tube. The
Figure shews the valve in its normal position with a free air passage through
it: The valve e is worked by the left hand by means of a rod and lever f, f.
When it is required to sharpen a note the rod fis pushed back, and the valve e
(Fig. 3) is caused to turn on its axis and is brought into the position shewn at
Fig. 3; the main tube is thereby shortened, the length equal to a semitone.
By the use of this additional valve and cylinder or piston, considerable facility
will also be afforded to the performer in playing chromatic passages and in
making shakes, and the necessity for cross fingering will to a great extent, if not
entirely, be obviated. It will, of course, be evident that the same effect may
be produced by means of a cylinder and piston similar to those shewn at d', d'.
We would remark that the adaptation of this additional valve or piston to the
instrument does not necessarily involve any alteration in the fingering of the
instrument, as the latter may, if desired, be played according to the old system.
of fingering, and the additional valve need only be used at the will or discretion
of the performer, who will be enabled to avail himself of it by degrees as he
becomes accustomed to it.
Our next improvement consists in adapting to the bell of brass wind instru-
ments simple contrivances whereby the tone may be modified and the sound
thrown in any desired direction. A variety of forms of parts whereby these
objects may be effected may be devised, and must necessarily vary in some
measure according to the particular form of instrument to which the con-
trivance is intended to be applied. One of the objects which we desire to.
effect by means of this improvement is to throw the sound in any direction.
To this end the bell c of the instrument is bent over, as shewn at Fig. 2, so as
to throw the sound out at right angles to the main tube, and this bent part
is made moveable on the fixed part as at 9, so that it may be turned round in
either direction as indicated by the dotted lines. In order to temporarily.

page_text: secure the bell in any given position, a collar g' or spring clip with a
thunib
screw for tightening the clip is employed, as shewn in the Drawing.
Figure 4 represents a cornet with the above improvements applied thereto,
and Fig. 4 represents another form of cornet. with the moveable bell.
Instead of making only the bell of the inst. ument moveable an obvious
modification is to make a joint upon the main tube much nearer the mouth-
piece, and then cause the main part of the instrument to turn on this joint..
This modification is shewn at. Fig.. 5. g is the turning point, and g' the
tightening collar.
:
.
For some kinds of instruments we adapt at the end of the bell, as in Fig. 6,
a moveable cap or hood, which, if; desired, may be made capable. of being.
turned round on the bell. These contrivances do not involve any alteration in
the construction or form of the bell, and may be readily adapted to instruments
constructed in the usual manner. By adopting either of these contrivances it
will be understood that when a band provided with our improved instruments
is marching at the head of a regiment, the bell or the cap or hood adapted
thereto may be turned round, and the sound from the bell of the instrument
may be thrown back over the heads of the soldiers who are following, and the
men at the rear will then be enabled to hear the band, and consequently to
keep a step or time therewith. .
Fig. 6ª represents a concave disc h adapted to the bell of an instrument for
the purpose of throwing back the sound, and is applicable to trombones. By
placing in the interior of the bell of a cornet or other instrument or near
its mouth a kind. of mute consisting of a disc. with a central hole or aperture.
and mounted on a hinge joint, the strength of tone of the instrument may be
modified so as to enable the performer by opening or closing the. disc to
produce the effect of a swell or crescendo and diminuendo. The opening and
closing of the disc is effected by means of a lever or equivalent mechanical con-
trivance worked by one of the fingers of the left band. By entirely closing the
dise the latter will act as a mute, and the effect of an echo, may be produced
thereby, or by gradually closing or opening the same a swell will be produced.
A modification of the above and perhaps the best form of which to construct this
contrivance is shewn at Figs. 7, 8, and.9, and consists in adapting to the bell
a mute of somewhat different form, consisting of two perforated plates i and j
(Fig. 8), which are made to slide or turn one on the other, and are so arranged
that when the plates are in one position the holes or perforations k, k, therein
(as seen in the plan view, Fig. 7), will coincide and allow the air and sound.
to pass through, but when. the plates i and j are made to slide over or turn on
one another the holes will be gradually closed or opened as the case may be,

page_text: and a swell or diminuendo and crescendo will be thereby produced. The
movements of the plates may be effected with the left hand through the inter-
vention of the bell-crank lever, Fig. 9, to one end of which is connected a rod,
not shewn in the Drawing, whereby it is worked. A spring m, Fig. 8, or
other equivalent contrivance is employed for bringing back the moveable plate
to its normal position. It is important to notice that these contrivances to be
adapted to the bell of the instruments should be so constructed and arranged
that they may be readidy detached therefrom when not required to be used.
It will be seen on referring to the sectional view, Fig. 8, that the mute is fitted
to the bell c, and is held therein by the elasticity of its lower or open end
which is split for the purpose. The top plate i of the mute turns on the central
hollow stud which always remains open, and will therefore allow a certain but
diminished amount of sound to escape.
Having now described our Invention of improvements in wind musical
instruments, and having explained the manner of carrying the same into effect,
we claim as our Invention,-
First, the mode herein set forth of constructing ophicleides and keyed
instruments of that class.
Second, we claim the mode herein set forth of producing sharps or semitones
is piston instruments.
Third, we claim constructing wind instruments in such a manner as set
forth that the bell may be turned round in either direction so that the sound'
will be thrown in any desired direction.
We claim also adapting to ordinary instruments removeable reflecting discs,
caps, or hoods, to effect the same object.
Fourth, we claim adapting to the bells of brass wind instruments, con-
trivances for enabling the performer to produce the effect of echoes or swells, as
above shewn and described.
In witness whereof, we, the said George Macfarlane, William Edward
Newton, and Richard Carte, have hereunto set our hands and seals,
this Third day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one.
GEORGE MACFARLANE. (L.S.)
W. E. NEWTON.
R. CARTE.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)
GEORGE MACFARLANE. (L.S.)
W. E. NEWTON.
R. CARTE.
(L.S.)
(L.S.)