US996542A - Orchestral transposition-chart. - Google Patents

Description

M. VERDIER. ORGHESTRAL TRANSPOS'ITION CHART. APPLICATION FILED'NOV.15, 1910.

996,542. Patented June 27,1911.

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NXED STTES PATENT OFFICE.

MARY VERDIER, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

ORCHESTRAL TRANSPOSITION-CHART.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, MARY VERDIER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda` and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Orchestral Transposition-Charts, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to orchestral transposition charts designed for the purpose of aiding musicians and arrangers of music for bands and orchestras in determining the proper keys in which to write the parts for the various instruments in order to assure unison and accords for all instruments comprising the band or orchestra.

Musicians are aware of the fact that the notes written for various instruments do not represent the same sounds. For instance: the C of a Bb cornet is in unison with the Bb of the piano, organ, violin or any non-transposing instrument; while the C of a Eb cornet is in unison with the EbH of those instruments. Composers and arrangers of music having limited experience are well aware of the facts referred to, but are frequently confused and are unable to decide in what keys to write the different parts so that when produced the music will be in unison or accord.

My invention is designed for the purpose of assisting persons of the character referred to, to quickly determine the various keys in which the various parts are to be written or transposed in order to produce harmony and accord. These and other objects may be attained by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a plan view of a chart made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same.

Referring to the drawing the numeral l designates the base tablet which may be made of card board or other suitable material. This tablet is provided with a series of transverse lines 2 suitably spaced apart and at the right hand side of the tablet vertical dividing lines 3 are printed or otherwise produced upon said tablet. In the spaces formed by the lines 2 and 3 are the notes 4L of the chromatic scale. The tablet 1 is provided with a slot 5 which extends nearly from end to end of said tablet. Mounted to slide'on the tablet is an indicator 6, said indicator being formed, pref- Specication of Letters Patent. Patented June 27, 1911. Application filed November 15, 1910.

Serial No. 592,550.

erably of card board or similar material and provided with headed buttons 7, which eX- tend through the slot 5 and permit the indicator to slide in said slot. The indicator 6 is of less width than the tablet l and is provided wit-h horizontal lines 8 spaced apart the same distance as the lines 2. At the right hand side of the indicator 6 Vertical lines 9 are provided. Between the lines 8 are printed the names of various instruments, as shown at l0, and in the spaces formed by the lines 8 and 9 are the notes 1l indicating the keys of the instruments referred to in the spaces l0.

rlhe operation of my invention may be briefly described as follows: By raising or lowering the indicator which bears the names of the various instruments the device is made to indicate automatically in succession the proper written expression of all the unisons for all of the instruments in common use in bands and orchestras, together with the real tone, as given by the piano, organ, violin, etc. To illustrate: should a person wish to determine in which key a piano part should be Written to accompany a solo for the Bb cornet in which t-he solo is written in the key of Gr, adjust the indicator by bringing the line relating to Bb7 cornets opposite the letter G, as shown in Fig. l, and the line bearing the name Piano will point to the name of the key in which the piano part should be written. Furthermore, should a person desire to ascertain in what key to write the part for any instruments to form unisons or accords with parts already written, place the name of any instrument for which the part is already written opposite the name of the key in which the part is written and the name of the instrument for which the part is to be written, will point to the proper key in which the part is to be written.

From the foregoing it will be obvious that a transposition chart made in accordance with my invention is of simple construction, can be quickly adjusted to indicate the keys in which compositions are to be written or arranged; said device being easily constructed at a low cost and will prove of great value to musicians and others desiring to arrange music parts for various instruments.

I claim:

An orchestral transposition chart comprising a tablet provided with a vertical slot therein, said tablet having` a series of horizontal equally-spaced lines upon one Side of said Slot, and Vertical columns crossing Said horizontal lines at one side of said tablet, Said Vertical columns having characters representing a chromatic scale between the horizontal lines, a. sliding indicator Connected to the tablet by headed buttons eX- tending through said slot, said indicator having thereon in horizontal lines equallyspaced and corresponding to the horizontal lines on the tablet the naines of the various instruments, and in a vertical column in line With said names the natural keys of said instrument-s.

ln testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

MARY VERDIER.

lVitnesses:

ALBERT BODE, JACK BEMACHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, `QIashington, D. G.

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