US40333A - Musical instrument - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED UGT. 20, 1863I W, BVS.

MESAL NSTELUMENT.

In Van/7);

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM DAVIS, OF TAMAQUA, PENNSYLVANIA.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 40,333, dated October 20,1863.

.To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM DAvIs, of Tamaqua, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and'useful Musical Instrument; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull and exact description thereof, reference being had i tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a partv of this specication.

arrangement and combination of two or more horizontal bows operating at right angles' across two or more sets ot' strings, arranged with their stops and couplers so as to produce the fine tones and musical sounds of the harp and violin by the operation ot' keys set in a finger-board.

Figure l represents a perspective view of the outside of the' instrument, which is a foursided case or box resting upon four or more legs. Fig. 2 represents a sectional view ofthe instrument. Fig. 3 represents thelever upon 'which the strings rest. Fig. 4 represents the upper operating hair-bow and its frame Fig. 5, the lower operating hair-bow and its frame. To enable others skilled iu the art to make and use my invention, I, will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the square case, as seen at Fig. l, having two side boxes or extension-wings, B, which allow the guides C of the frame of thebowD to operaiein and move backward and forwardto regulate their mot-ion accurately, and that the case A need not be extended to an oblong shape or unnecessary length at each. side.

E represents the finger-board or 'arrangement of keys E, whichis intended to contain y about sxoctaves, more or less.

F is the treadle which operates thecrank G,

*.that has a ily-wheel, H, on the outside of the crank to facilitate the movement of the treadle and' crank.

I represents the lever, as shown at Fig. 3,

` its front end being perforated, so as not to muftle the sound made bythe vibration of the strings. Its front end is curved and operates on a pivot or hinge, J, resting'upon a drum, V, as a sounding-board. It has a bridge, K, covered by an arch, L, upon which the strings M rest. This lever I is made square, ot'wood, as light as possible, and has its back end tato the turn-pins T, attached Vboard with its cleat W, communicatev their pered round to where it is connected with the lifterN, and its upward and downward motion is regulated by the aperature P, as a guide in the bridge Q and aperture It, through the frame S. The upright lifter N is connected with the horizontal key E ofthe ringerboard, as seen at Fig. 2. The strings M are attached to the frame 'S, passing over the bridge Q and the arch L, and are tightened l in front by the turn-pins T. There are to be The nature ot' my Invention consists 1n the l two sets or rows ot' strings, one above the other. The drum V, upon which the lever I operates and rests, is an angular-shaped box, corresponding with the length of the sca-le of strings, and occupies a space the same length and width of each set of strings, and is located under the strings as a sounding-board, so as to give sound to the vibration ofthe strings. It tapers from the bass to correspond with the tone of the strings. There are two drums, one for each set of strings. There will be one, two, or three strings, M, to each lever I', and the strings, being fastened to the sliding vibrations and sounds to the drum V by the pressure of the cleat W against the front end of drum V, which cleat W supports the front end of the drum, while the rear end ot' drum V rests in the frame S.

D represents the upper horse-hair bow, as seen at Figs. 2 and 4, attached to arms Y, and operating, with its upright movable frame Z,

across the instrument, back and forward, the4 bow moving above the upper set of strings. The lower bow, a., moves in an opposite direction from that of the upper bow, D, above the lower set ot' strings, M, their. frames Z being propelled by the crank G underneath, whose arms care set one-quarter of the circle of the shaft distant from each other, 'so as to give an alternate motion to the frames Z. The lower parts ot' frame Z opera-te in grooves 0r guides d in the bottom of the case A.

e represents an octavestop working horizontally, having an upright lever, f, with the stop g at top, which presses upon the string M as the handle e is pushed forward.

h represents the handle, which is connected. to the lower corner of a movable board, t', which I call the coupler,) suspended at the top by pins or hinges tothe frame S. By pressing the handle h the coupling-board i is forced back,"together` with the lower lifteril',d and the upper lifter N is lthen allowed to move up and down independently,whieh'admits the upper lrow or set Y. of strings M to be played v upon only to facilitate the tuning 'of the instru'- inent,and by drawing forward vthe handle h the two lifters'N are then agein coupled and operate on both levers I.

` j represents a common swell-stop, that by v pressing upon the treadle its uprightlever k A strings the instant the lever I falls, as the finger is 'removed `from the key E. The'keys E' are kept in their places by the pressure of the strings M upon the arch L, lwhich keeps the lever I and lifters N down, thus dispen's' ing with the use ot weights and springslcommonly used on piano-keys.

To operaie the instrument, the keys E aie pressed upon by the fingers of theperformer,

while the treadle F is `acted'lon bythe foot,

the' tealeoperauug uw 'crank e', by whichy the frames Z of the upper and lower bows are propelled in an opposite direction to each other, from right to-left and back, and the pressure upon the proper keys, E, raises the lifters N, and the levers I raising the proper strings, M,.until they come in contact with the hair-bows, when the cross movement of the bowtntouehing the strings, and produce the vibration, sounds, and tones required, according to the pressure upon the keys, for'the shortest or longest sound in mus.c, similar in duration to thatof an organ.

' The strings are tunedby the turn-pins T in Vmanner similar to the. tuning of the strings of a harp: l

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

The arrangement of twojor more horizontal j sliding bows operatingA upon two or more sets of strings. with their' levers I, lkeys E, lfters N, coupler i, treadle F, and crank G,

with ily-wheel H, arranged, combined, and operated as herein described, for the purpose of producing. the musical sounds of the'harp WM.y DAvi-s. n

and violin.

' Witnesses: J. FRANKLIN REIGAR-T,

B. DILLENBERG.

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