US722574A - Music record, diagram, or pattern. - Google Patents

Description

m0. 722,574. PATENTED MAR.10-,'1903. R..- A. GALLY.

MUSIC B50031) DIAGRAM, 0R PATTERN. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 1,- 1902.

MCI/7555.25": [me/770p UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. GALLY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MUSIC RECORD, DIAGRAM, OR PATTERN.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 722,574, dated March 10, 1903. Original application filed January 23, 1902, Serial No. 90,935. Divided and this application filed August 1,1902. Serial To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. GALLY, a citizen of the United States, residing atBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Music Records, Diagrams, Patterns, &c., of which the followingis a specification, 4 this application being a division of my original application, Serial No. 90,935, filed January 23, 1902, for music-sheets, doc.

My invention has for its object the more perfect and artistic recording and illustrating of musical compositions, especially as relates to their rhythm, dynamics, part distinctions, and phrasing.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of one of my music records, diagrams, or patterns, showing the forms of marks to indicate the musical notes. Figs. 2 and 3 are additional examples of similar devices.

As the following specification sets forth several matters for which the technical terms have had to be specially adapted or where common terms are capable of false or double interpretation, I now define them as I intend them to be understood herein.

Music-record: A sheet or disk accurately setting forth the precise manner of the playing of a musical composition by marks or note indications arranged one way-say crosswise-pf the sheet as to pitch-scale and the other way-say lengthwise-of the sheet mathematically in proportion and mathematically equivalent to the'sound duration of the notes and the general tempo and metrics for use in musical study and in preparation of automatic music-sheets.

N. B.- A music-sheet may include marks or indications of a music-record character, the elements and functions being largely interchangeable and the sheet often developed from the record. and even retaining the original marks thereof, &c.

Music-diagramz A brief illustration of music-playing'in form similar to a music-' record.

Music-patternz A sheet or equivalent having note-perforations, note indications, or marks of any kind serving as a templet (No model.)

from which or by which to duplicate copies of music sheets, records, diagrams, or patterns.

Music-sheetz Any sheet, card, disk, or tablet of paper, metal, or other suitable ma terial having any manner of note perforations or indications for controlling the notes of an automatic musical instrument or attachment.

Note-perforations: Either a single hole or slot or a closely-grouped series of holes representing a single continuous tone, (note.)

Note indicatiom Any manner of notecontrolling indication of an automatic musicsheet whether perforation, embossing, raised place, electrically conductive or non-conductive surface, or other equivalent devices.

Phrasing in the performance of a musical composition consists in so ordering, varying, and contrasting the attack,power, tempo, lengthening, shortening, and overlapping of the musical tones as to clearly and artistically distinguish the structural factors of the composition and their orderly correlation. It is comparative to the art of elocution governing an orator.

Voice, voice part, or part are synonymous, signifying a succession of single tones (notes) progressing in sequence of comparatively small pitch intervals, so called, from the part sung by one person (voice) in solo or ensemble.

Music sheets, records, 850., especially when of many notes, have their notes spaced in 10ngitudinal lines or circles, with very narrow spaces between the lines.

In Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings the measures, beats, and subdivisions and comparisons of attack are indicated by numerous light transverse lines, as it is customary to do.

To conveniently and economically produce highly artistic music sheets, records, patterns, 850., with all the detail of individual attack, slurring, &c., as hereinafter set forth, it is desirable to proceed upon the method and with the means I now describe for marking and indicating such details of dynamics, duration, and metrics. These marks and in dications can be originally prepared by hand or by aid of suitable mechanisms, certain of which mechanisms I set forth in a separate application, and the marks and indications can be duplicated for further copies by any suitable process.

Music sheets, patterns, and records have heretofore been prepared by marking the lengths of the notes in straight lines or succession of dots of required lengths, these lines or dots occupying the exact positions to be cut out by hand for the first copy, requiring the hand-punch to be centered with difficulty over each line or dot and such mark destroyed when hole was made, as 34, Fig. 1. I new mark my notes at the side of the position the hole is to be cut and of corresponding length, and thus the placing of hand-punch is very much easier and faster, and the mark remains after hole is cut, allowing Verification. (See 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 of Fig. 1 and 401 and 404 of Fig. 3.) The marking of the notes in dots or straight lines has indicated only the pitch and duration of the notes, which suffices for organ-music indications, where touch is not a factor; but for music for piano or like tones it is essential that the manner of attack or touch of each note be precisely known and controlled. For this purpose I have devised the simple method of marking the attack or commencement of a note by a line at an angle or slant to the direction of its duration, as shown by the notes in Fig. l numbered 28 to 33; Fig. 2, 200 to 202 204, and Fig. 3, 403 to 414, some being only marked, others marked and out. It will be seen that if the marks be made from the movements of a musical instruments key or keys with the sheet moving at a uniform speed the key or keys acting to deflect a marking device in a movement transverse to the direction of movement of the sheet the resultant angles will correspond in degree to the ratio of speed of the key to the speed of the paper, a quick attack making an obtuse angle, sometimes even approximating a right angle when the touch is very strong, 204, and making an acute angle when the touch is slow and the tone soft, 202. The angles will show all the varying degrees of touch, as 200 to 203 204, not only as to power, but as to manner of attack-as, for instance, a pressure touch made slowly with the force applied at the finish will show mark commencing at a gradual angle and ending more abruptly, 409. Same manners of touch will form various curved angles, &c., 410 411. This manner of note-marking may show the deflection at the commencement and end of each note with the continuing line between 406 to 411 or may omit the continuing line and show only the deflections (angles to line of movement) at each of end note, 412 to 414. Instead of the notes being so marked from a mechanism controlled by musical instrument or similar key, as set forth in my separate application therefor, or otherwise they may be made showing such angles as the previous study of other records or the mere judgment of the writer dictates and still be useful and subject to my claims of patent. As this system or method of note-marking by angles accurately depicts the individual attack of each note, and so shows the tone-color of chords and all the other elements of musical expression so far as relates to ,tone production and duration, most of which elements have heretofore been only hypothetically discussed and taught, (there having been no method of recording, analyzing, or depicting musical expression accurately,) this system is very valuable for such research and instruction, and for such purposes the notes may be only marked, as 402 405 409 to 411 413 414, or duplicate copies marked or printed, or may be cut, as shown, for visual examination or automatic playing for illustrating audibly the various effects discussed, besides all which is the great value of producing really perfect music-sheets for general use in automatic musical instruments, especially those instruments embodying the special individual-note-expression mechanisms set forth in my separate application therefor.

The best forms of note perforations or indications which may be made from the foregoing described indications I set forth and claim in my original application, Serial No. 90,935, of which the present application is a division.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. A method for making music records, diagrams or patterns, consisting in marking on such sheet a series of continuous longitudinal lines, one for each note of the scale, and deflecting said lines from their normal position to indicate the occurrence of the musical notes.

2. A method for making music records, diagrams or patterns, consisting in marking the musical notes by lines deflected from or angular to the longitudinal tracking or alining of the said notes.

3. A method for making music records, diagrams or patterns, consisting in marking the musical notes by lines deflected from or angular to the longitudinal tracks or lines of the said notes, the deflections or angles being of varied degrees to indicate the relative momentum, manner and power of attack of the notes.

4. A music record, diagram or pattern having a series of continuous longitudinal lines, one for each note of the scale, the musical notes being indicated thereon by deflections of the lines from their normal position, the undeflected portions of each line being in alinement with each other and parallel to the undeflected portions of the other lines.

5. A music record, diagram or pattern having thereon musical notes consisting of lines or marks deflected from or angular to the 1on gitudinal tracking or alining of the said notes, an individual track or alinement representing one musical-tone pitch, and a consecutive pair of deflections or angles of one track or alinement indicating the attack and release IIO one musical-tone pitch, and a consecutive pair of deflections or angles of one track or alinement indicating the attack and release of a musical note, the time value or duration of said note being represented by the distance between the two said consecutive deflections or angles.

ROBT. A. GALLY.

Witnesses:

M. GALLY, W. E. G. WEYMoUTH,

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