US759575A - Mechanical music-sheet. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED MAY 10, 1904.

I. C. WHITE. MECHANICAL MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1903.

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No. 759,575. I I PATENTED MAY 10, 1904. F. 0. WHITE.

MECHANICAL MUSIC SHEET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1a, 1903.

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dug-leader, thereby rendering the bass or Patented May 10, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK 0. WHITE, or MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

MECHANICAL MUSIC-SHEET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 759,575, dated May 10, 1904.

Application filed May 18, 1903. Serial No. 157,562. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.- v

Be it known that I, FRANK (J. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Meriden,

in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mechanical Music-Sheets, of which the following, together with the accompanyin g drawings, is a specification sufliciently full, clear, and exact to enable persons skilled in the art to which this invention appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in perforated music of the class employed for autopneumatic music-playing attachments or mechanical musical instruments comprising series of pneumatic actions and a pneumatic tracker over which the music is passed as a controlling-valve in well-known manner.

In some constructions of automatic pianoplayers or pneumatically operated musicplaying instruments the series of pneumatic actions are separated into a plurality of divisions by a partition or dividing means within the wind-chest, air-supply chamber, or flushlower-register series practically independent in operation from the treble or upper-register portion, while each separate division is provided with accentuation devices or expression-controlling means pertaining solely to its respective division, but capable of being manipulated by an actuating-stop independently or in certain relations with each other. In practice the division is found to be quite satisfactory when placed between notes E and F above middle 0; but it is not in all instances confined to that particular position, and the partition or dividing means may be located at any desirable position higher or lower in the scale.

In musical compositions the melody-notes or notes to be accented may occur in that part of the scale which pertains to the lowerregister division or in that part that pertains to the upper register division, the melody running from one side to the other, and .vice versa, of the division-point in the scale.

The object of my present invention is to provide a perforated music sheet, roll, or strip having upon its face a visible demarcation or indicating means to show the division of the scale of perforations for upper and lower register notes to correspond with the division in the pneumatic action on which said sheet is to be used.

Another object is to provide a perforated music sheet, roll, or strip with a longitudinal line or color delineation upon its face indicatively dividing or separating the respective portions of the scale of note-perforations pertaining to the bass and treble registers and also with means for designating melody-notes where they occur adjacent to or at the opposite side of such dividing-line for enabling the operator to readily perceive the course of the melody-notes and at which side of the division the particular accentuation is to be effected.

The nature of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents a plan view of a sheet or roll of perforated music embodying my improvements. Figs. 2 and 3 represent portions of the music-sheet, showing modified features of the invention which are hereinafter more fully explained.

Referring to the drawings, A denotes the paper strip, roll, or music-sheet fabric, which may beof the usually-employed material and provided with note-perforations formed therein in the usual or any suitable manner and representing any desired tune or musical composition.

O indicates the spool for containing the rolled music-sheet.

D indicates the winding or draft roll of the music-playing instrument or mechanism, and F the tracker, over which the music-sheet is passed for controlling the performance of the playing actions, as will be fully understood by those conversant with the art withoutfurther description of the playing instrument or operating mechanism.

Upon the face of the music-sheet A in accordance with my invention 1 provide a division-indicating line or delineation 5, of ink or color, marking in relation to the scale of note-perforations a position corresponding to the place at which the action-scale in an automatic music-playing instrument is divided for upper and lower registers by the partition in the wind-chest, air-supply chamber, or flushing-leader, which separate division of the action mechanism are provided with individual accentuation devices or stops, as heretofore practiced.

The line 5 or delineation upon the musicsheet is direct from end to end of the piece and separates the field 6 of perforations, which pertain to the bass register or division, from the field 7 of perforations, which pertain to the treble register or division, and shows to the performer at all times the relation of any of the note-perforations to the divisional line 5.

Of the melody-notes m or notes which require to be accented to give expression or character to the music the treble melodynotes frequently run into the bass register, or vice versa. here the melody-notes m are situated near the center of the music-sheet or division-line 5, I provide such melody-notes with a visible distinguishing-mark a of the form shown, or other suitably-displayed form, printed or delineated upon the sheet in connection with or adjacent to the respective melody-note perforations to tell the operator where the melody crosses the divisionline into the opposite register-division and becomes subject to the other accentuation system. These marks 91/ clearly indicate the mclody-perforations from the general accompaniment perforations 3 and can be easily seen, in conjunction with the longitudinal demarcation 5, as the sheet A passes from the spool G to the tracker F and winding-roll I). The markings for the individual melody or accent-note perforations 710 0311, when desired, be of varied character or made in a manner to indicate by the nature or character of the mark whether the particular note pertains to the bass or treble side of the division. An instance of this nature is illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the melody-notes coming on the treble side havea T-marking, as at 9, and those coming on the bass side have a B-marking, as at 10, so that the individual mark in itself tells the operator to which division the particular note-perforation pertains.

\Nhile I prefer for indicating the division a simple longitudinal line 5, 1 have in Fig. 2 shown a modification wherein the longitudinal division is delineated on the music-sheet by a broad surface of contrasting color 55, covering all or a determined portion of onehalf of the music-sheet, the divisional limit 5 being at the edge of the field of color. The perforations pertaining to the wiper-register division are in the uneolored field, while those pertaining to the lower-register division are in the colored iield, or vice versa, if the deeper color is applied to the right-hand side of the music-sheet instead of the left-hand side.

\Vhen using this improved music-sheet, the

dividing-line and marked melody-notes can always be seen slightly in advance of the trackerinouthpiece, thus allowing the operator to an ticipate the expression before the note reaches the opening, so that every melodynote, whether in the bass or treble division, can be determined, and no melody-note need be lost from the expression owing to its crossing into the other register or division and the operator misapplying the expression-stops.

It is well known that certain letters have heretofore'been placed upon the border of a music-sheet to indicate the places for pianissimo, forte, and expressions of that class, also that irregular lines or chains of dots have been used thereon as a guide for the hand in the movement of a controlling-lever. Hence it will be understood that I do not herein claim such previously-employed means; but my invention has reference to the peculiar features of improvement set forth, and delined in the claims' NV hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A perforated music-sheet for mechanical musical instruments wherein their pneumatic system or action mechanisms are separated or divided at an intermediate position in the music-scale; said music-sheet having upon its face a division-indicating means comprising a continued straight alinement-marking, disposed intermedial in the regular scale of noteperforations, coincident with and following, throughout the length of the piece, the predetermined interval of the scale at which the division occurs, and indicating the relation of the adjacent netc-perforations, along the sheet, to such predetermined point of division in the music-scale, for the purpose set forth.

2. A music-sheet for mechanical musical instruments, wherein upper and lower register actions are separated by a dividing means at an intermediate point in the music-scale; said music-sheet consisting of a roll or strip of paper perforated for music-notes, and having upon its face a continuous undeviating visible demarcation distinguishing the separatingpoint for the upper and lower register noteperforations, longitudinally throughout the sheet at a position thereon corresponding to the register-division of the music-scale.

3. A roll or strip of perforated music, having a longitudinal line upon its face running from end to end thereof between the perforations that pertain to the bass-register and the perforations that pertain to the treble-register.

4:. A perforated musicsheet divided approximately midway of its scale and intermediate to determined note-perforations of the scale, by a straight longitudinal line extending direct from end to end of the perforated portion of the sheet, and located in relation to the various note-perforations continually coincident with a predetermined point of division in the music-playing scale, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A perforated music-sheet having the fields of its note-perforations, which pertain to the treble and bass portions, indicatively separated and distinguished by a contrasting delineation of color upon the separate fields and extending longitudinally throughout the full length of the sheet.

6. A perforated music-sheet having thereon a line indicating a position between the perforations that corresponds with a predetermined accentuation division of the musicscale; and provided with indicating-marks for distinguishing the melody-notes that occur near or adjacent to said line.

7 A roll or strip of perforated music-paper having delineated upon its face a longitudinal line marking a division between portions thereof, and having the melody-note perforations in the vicinity of said line individually distinguished from the accompaniment noteperforations by an indicating-mark to show to which division said melody-note pertains, said mark printed or delineated upon the sheet adjacent to the respective melody-note perforations.

8. A roll or sheet of perforated music adapted for music-playing instruments having separated divisions in their action-scale for the treble and bass portions thereof; said musicsheet provided with a division-indicating longitudinal line, and having its melody-note perforations that occur in the vicinity of the division individually provided with a distinguishing-mark delineated upon the sheet, the nature or character of the marks being varied for designating whether the actions to which such note-perforations pertain are in thetreble or bass division.

Witness my hand this 14th day of May, 1903.

FRANK 0. WHITE.

Witnesses:

CLARENCE L. PIERCE, A. G. KUHNLE.

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