US1773674A - Stringed musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

g- 9, 1930. GD. HAMBRECHT ,574

V snnlssn IUSICAL ms'rnulml'r Filed Feb. 8, 1928 A TTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 19, 1930 xamlner PATENT OFFICE GEORGE D. HAMBRECHT, 0F CANAJ'OHARIE, NEW YORK STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT Application filed February 8, 1928. Serial No. 252,830.

The invention relates to a bow-played violin type, stringed instrument, which, in order to secure its permanent tone, does not require long aging, but which, after being played but a short time assumes a tone that is equal and in most cases superior to the tone of the standard form of violin which has been aged for a long time. The superior tone of an aged violin of the standard type is generally attributed to molecular or other changes in the grain of the wood, due largely to the strain put upon it by the tension of the strings, and it is a matter of common knowledge that when the strings are released, the tone deteriorates and is not re-established until some time after the string tension is re-applied.

It is my belief that the improved tone of my instrument is due to the use of a substantially single vibrating air column as opposed to the two air columns of the standard violin, which two air columns must be brought into resonance before a satisfactory tone is obtained. The qualities of the enclosing sides and the finish of my instrument are not believed to be the important factors that they are in the standard type of violin.

It is well-known that in the standard tvpe of violin the maker frequently is skillful enough to doctor the tone; that is. if the toneis'harsh, his experience in manufacturing violins will enable him to sandpaper a little 'oif here or there, make a little ditl erentapplication of varnish. or something of the kind which undoubtedly changes the vibration of one part of the instrument as compared to the other, throwing the two halves ing qualities with but little necessity for attention to be paid to the quality of the material entering into its construction or the aging which is so requisite in the standardized form of violin. This object is secured in a stringed instrument made in accordance with the drawings attached hereto.

The design of the standard violin is too well-known to require description here, and it is only necessary to state that these instruments are ordinarily substantially symmetrical; that is, the half above the bridge is substantially the same as the half below the bridge, the sound holes being practically in the center of the two sections. The tone of this type of instrument comes from the two substantially equal air spaces, the one having more or less of an amplifying effect upon the other, but owing to the utter impossibility of making the two halves exactlv similar, there is never the possibility of making these two air spaces so that they are in exact vibration so far as their tone-stimulating properties are concerned.

It is also well-known that practically every violin of the standard type is an individuality, some violins of the same shape and size as others having far superior tone-producing qualities. Furthermore, it is a fact that great attention must be paid to the selection of the materials entering into these violins, as the perfection of such material determines to a large extent the quality of the tone.

An experience of nearly fifty years in making musical instruments (and especially violins, some of which were good and others not so good) has led me to produce a type of violin in which I am able without the most careful selection of the material and the greatest care in design and manufacture, to yet produce an unusually full, ringing, voicelike, sweet, rich tone, which can be duplicated without the excessive care and expert workmanship that is required to obtain a good tone in the standard form of violin.

It is a well-known fact that as the enclosure becomes larger the resonance becomes increased. This may be crudely illustrated by the quality of tone that is secured by noising into a small opening of a large barrel, and

hearingthe sweet, mellow, ringing sound produced, this quality diminishing and becoming inferior as the volume of the enclosure becomes less and less.

Repeated trials in the attempt to produce the proportions that would effect similar ringing, full, clear tones made it apparent that it was desirable to substitute one air space as large as possible, in contra-distinction to the standard well-accepted model with its two substantially similar air spaces.

In the ordinary violin there is a post about one-fourth inch back of the bridge, supporting the arch, and making a pressure on the wood fibres at the head of the post greater than the pressure on the wood fibres in the tailpiece end. This difference in pressure on the two sides of the bridge naturally results in a difference in strength and quality of vibration. If the sound post is taken out entirely from the standard violin, the pressure on the top caused by the tension of the strings mufiles the fibres in the wooden top and the tone is dead. Likewise. if the sound post is placed ahead of the bridge, the two sections of the top are not under the same tension, and so vibrate dilferently.

The fact that a single vibrating air chamber is largely responsible for the tone has been further evidenced by the construction of a number of these violutes, each made with a different quality of wood than the others, ranging from freshly cut to well-aged good, and from soft wood to hard wood. In every case, the completed instrument produces the ringing, mellow, voice-like tone. and while it must not be understood that all kinds and qualities of wood are equally satisfactory for the construction of these violutes, yet it is a fact that the quality and nature of the wood entering into their construction is a" minor consideration which is further evidence of the fact that the tone quality is largely dependent upon the single vibrating air column.

Through the repeated trials mentioned above,:- I have produced a new instrument, utilizing the new princple of substantially one large vibrating air volume, thereby obtaining a full, sweet, ringing, voice-like tone of great volume-yet mellow. It is bowed and fingered the same as the standard form of violin. and it happens that on account of the restricted upper end it can be played in the upper registers with considerably greater ease than the standard form.

The tone of this instrument so resembles that of a flute that I have give it the name of violute, a combination of the two words violin and flute.

The description of the instrument is as follows Figure 1 is the front view, and Figure 2 is the side view of this instrument.

The hollow body portion, F is similar to the lower section of the standard form of violin, but of considerably larger dimensions, so that in fact the air volume contained in the section F below the bridge B is possibly fifty per cent greater than the air volume of a corresponding violin of standard type.

correspondingly, the upper portion E is very much reduced in width; in fact, it is made as small as possible, consistent with appearance and strength. the idea being to reduce the air volume above the bridge to as small a proportion as possible consistent with strength and appearance.

The neck portion A is provided with the usual pegs P for string adjustment. The fingerboard D and the strings C, including the usual tailpiece T and bridge B are also included.

The interior portion of this violute is carefully proportioned so as to avoid square corners on the inside that might affect the tone. The outer lines of this instrument are made carefully rounded or oval in shape, and this construction carried into the interior, as the shape of these lines aifects to a large extent the quality of the tone.

The sound holes. G, H, are symmetrically positioned with reference to the bridge, and made of considerable width. but much shorter than the usual, accepted form, thereby enclosing a larger volume of vibrating air, and offering as little resistance as possible to the issuance of the sound waves from the intericr.

For a fuller understanding of the invention and its relation to the standard violin, reference may be had to the attached print showing the violute superposed upon a standard violin. The description which follows has reference to the print, and is submitted for the purpose of contrasting the violute with the standard instrument.

The improved qualities of my violute are due to the several features that make the instrument a complete unit. These comprise the shape, structure, the practically single vibrating air space, and the short f holes, which all combined produce an effect entirely different from that secured from the standard violin type of instrument. My violute would not have the good qualities of tone and volume if the air spaces were reversed; that is. having the large air space on the fingerboard end of the instrument with the sound post setting back of the bridge, in which position it is placed in the standard violin type.

Referring to the f holes of my violute as compared with the f holes of a violin, it is readily seen that if these f holes were both made wider and wider (not longer) until the openings almost meet, the air space on the violute remains almost intact, and yet owing to the much longer f holes and the narrow tailpiece end of the standard violin, there is practically no air space left; that is, the standea MUSES.

ard violin in that case would be too open to produce any appreciable tone. In order to make the f holes on my violute shorter, it was necessary to widen the outer lines of the instrument. Qtherwise the ends of the f holes would have approached too near, or indeed over the edge of the rim (see Drawing A). The f holes on a standard violin cannot be made shorter unless the standard outlines are entirely reconstructed, because the outer edge of the f holes would come too near or over the edge of the rim.

\Vhen a violin or violute is played the v1- bration is strongest at the foot of the bridge (see Drawing D). When the vibration is released in the top of an instrument, it travels instantly in all directions, like waves receding from a spot in the water Where a stone has been dropped, becomin weaker and weaker the farther they go. The spaces directly below the f holes on both violin and violute are the spaces that vibrate easiest (see Drawing C). Because of the shortened f holes, the distance from the foot of the bridge where the vibration is strongest to the space on the instrument that vibrates easiest is much shorter on my violute than on a violin. This shorter distance naturally allows the vibration to be stronger when it reaches this space than it can be when it reaches the same space on a violin. (See drawing.) This stronger vibration loosens the wood fibres quicker and, therefore, developes my violute faster than a violin can be developed.

This stronger vibration also causes a stronger air vibration inside of the instrument, therefore giving the tone of my violute greater carrying power.

Because of this stronger vibration developing the violute faster than a violin can be developed, itis not important to be so choice of the wood used in its making.

The shortened f holes allow a longer air space from the end of the f holes to the lower edge of the instrument (see Drawings A to D), On a regular violin this distance is 4% inches, and on the violute it is 5 inches. Being longer and wider, the air space is greater and naturally can produce a much more mellow tone than can be produced in a violin.

The distance from the end of the f holes to the lower edge of a violin being shorter than that of a violute, makes the tone of the violin higher pitched and less mellow.

A practical embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, but it will be understood that the spirit of the invention will not be limited by such details.

The term violute is used as descriptive of the present device for the reason that the tone of the instrument resembles to a considerable degree the sweet, mellow tones of the mmlner flute, the instrument itself being of the violin type, though differing materially from the standard violin. The name violute is a contraction of the words violin and flute. The only reason which can be given as to why the tone of the instrument resembles that of a flute is the basic principle of the violute, namely, the one large vibrating air space.

\Vhat I claim is 1. A bow-played stringed musical instrument of the violin type including a hollow wooden body enclosing an air space, the usual bridge, sound box, strings, and pegs for string adjustment, in which the body is so shaped that the enclosed volume below the bridge and in which the body encloses a single air column which vibrates as a whole when the instrument is bowed, is several times larger than the space above the bridge.

2. A bow-played stringed musical instrument of the violin type including a hollow wooden body enclosing an air space, the usual bridge, sound box, strings, and pegs for string adjustment, in which the body below the bridge is several times larger than the space above the bridge and in which the outlines of the body gradually and continuously converge upwardly from a position of maximum width a short distance below the bridge to the upper end of the body above the bridge, there being no widening out of the body above the bridge, whereby a single column of air is enclosed within the body, which vibrates as a whole when the instrument is bowed.

3. A bow-played stringed musical instrument of the violin type including a hollow wooden body enclosing an air space, the usual bridge, sound box, strings, and pegs for string adjustment, in which the body is so shaped that the space below the bridge is several times larger than the space above the bridge and in which the body encloses a single air column which vibrates as a whole when the instrument is bowed, said instrument having sound holes, symmetrically positioned with reference to the bridge, said sound holes being of considerable width, but much shorter than in the ordinary form. thereby enclosing a large volume of vibrating air, and ofiering little resistance to the issuance of sound waves from the interior.

4. A bow-played stringed musical instrument of the violin type having strings, a brid e, a fingerboard and a tailpiece, and a woo en body enclosing a single column of air, said body being so shaped that the space beyond the bridge at the tailpiece end is several times larger than the space beyond the bridge at the fingerboard end, the widest portion of the instrument being just below the bridge at the tailpiece end and the body gradually and continuously narrowing from said widest portion to the fingerboard end of the instrument, and rapidly and continuously narrows toward the tailpiece end of the instrument, whereby a single vibrating column of air is included in the instrument when the strings are bowed.

5. A bow-played stringed musical instrument of the violin type, having the usual bridge, sound box, tail piece, end pin, strings and pegs for string adjustment, the tail piece being fastened to the end pin in the manner customary in violin type instruments, and having a hollow Wooden body enclosing an air space, said body below the bridge being several times larger than the space above the bridge, and the outlines of the body converging gradually and continuously upwardly from a position of maximum width a short distance below the bridge to the upper end of the body above the bridge, and converging sharply and continuously downwardly from the position of maximum width, whereby a single column of air is enclosed within the body, which column vibrates as a whole when the instrument is bowed.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

GEORGE D. HAMBRECHT.

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