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12
THE
MUSIC TRADE
REVIEW
OulTECHNICAL DEPARTMENT
CONDUCTED BY WILLIAM BRAID WHITE.
what little there is of root tone being practically
hidden by the disproportionate loudness of the
upper partials. Recognizing the limitations of an
instrument whose vibrations depend upon tension
I have received from Thomas Machell, of
with all its attendant troubles, inventors haVe at
Thomas Machell & Sons, Glasgow, Scotland, a
different periods, contemporary with the ristory
very interesting pamphlet under the above title, of the pianoforte, sought a solution in the endeavor
together with the following letter: "Editor Tech- to produce musical sounds from substances whose
nical Department, Music Trade Review. Dear
vibrations depend upon their own elasticity . . ."
Sir: My attention has been drawn to an interest-
These are the words of an enthusiast and can
ing article of yours in the 16th of November
issue of the Music Trade Review, in reply to a hardly therefore be judged as altogether just to
letter on 'Tuning-fork' pianos, signed 'George the piano. It is true that the third count of Mr.
Machell's indictment is by no means without
Messig.' It may interest Mr. Messig, yourself and
justification,
as is well known to every piano tuner,
others to know that a key-board percussion musical
but the other defects which he alleges, while in-
instrument on the lines of a pianoforte, but with
deed they exist, have scarcely more than an
forks of steel as sound producers, has been manu-
factured in Glasgow, Scotland, for some years academic interest.
In giving the history of the attempts that have
under the name of the 'Dulcitone.' That it has
been made during modern times to produce key-
met a long-felt want is evidenced by the fact that
we have difficulty in keeping pace with the de- board musical instruments depending upon inher-
mand. Enclosed please find illustrated prospectus ently elastic vibratory substances, Mr. Machell
and a copy of my paper on 'Key-board Percussion mentions the effort of Martin and Alexandre, of
Musical Instruments' from the proceedings of the Paris, to introduce a percussion stop into the har-
Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow . . ." monium or reed organ. This was done by pro-
viding hammers with a lead base covered with
thick, soft felt. These hammers struck a bank of
I have to confess that the very existence of the reeds and produced, according to our author,
Dulcitone was unknown to me until I received pleasing but weak musical sounds. A refinement
and read the very interesting paper read by Mr. of the idea was introduced by Mustel, the famous
Machell before the Royal Philosophical Society of
harmonium builder of Paris, in 1866. This was
Glasgow, December 4, 1907, in which he describes the adoption of a set of tuning forks, struck with a
•his invention. The term ''Key-board Percussion hammer through a piano-like action, and each
Musical Instrument," which Mr. Machell uses fitted with a special wooden resonance chamber
generically to classify his own special device, is of such dimensions as to respond most readily to
not the happiest that could be found, since it ap- the frequency of the fork to which it was at-
plies with equal force and correctness to the piano tached. This was musically successful, but com-
itself. Apart from this the description given of
mercially a failure, owing to its prohibitive size
the instrument is most interesting; so much so and price.
that I cannot refrain from giving a digest of it
The tuning fork idea, however, was not suffered
here.
to die, for in 1873 an American, George Woods,
Mr. Machell's paper is devoted to a description
introduced into reed-organs a percussion stop,
of what he calls the Dulcitone. This is a key-board
using hammers which struck at steel rods bent
instrument with a sound-board like that of a
into the shape of forks or hoQks. Later George
piano, but fitted with tuning forks instead of
Steck (1893), in New York, produced a grand
strings. The action is exactly like that of the
piano in which the bass notes were produced by
piano, except that, for reasons of space economy,
steel rods bent into double "S" loops, while for
it is down-striking, as were the square piano ac-
the treble register straight steel rods were used.
tions of Thomas Loud (New York, 1827), and of
This undoubtedly is the instrument to which Mr.
E. R. Currier (Boston, 1831). In describing the
Plaisted called attention in his recent interesting
particular features of the Dulcitone, Mr. Machell
letter to this department, and concerning which I
gives a sketch of the development of these in-
was at the time unable to give information. Steck
struments and undertakes to show why none of
apparently, however, met with little success in this
them before his time were practical. He starts
instrument, as its subsequent history is obscure.
with some remarks concerning the modern piano-
An attempt of equal interest and of equal non-
forte, which I reproduce here: "The modern
success was that of Fisher in 1882, which con-
pianoforte, with its perfect mechanism and enorm-
ous range of eighty-eight notes and 224 strings, sisted of a row of actual tuning forks, with shanks,
laid horizontally and struck by hammers through
has now, it may be safe to assert, culminated in
fullest development. During the past fifty years a grand piano action. The forks were each brought
very little genuine improvement has been effected. into contact with a vertical sounding-board through
The compass has been increased slightly and the their shanks a moment after being struck with the
hammers. This attempt, known as the Adiaphon,
volume of tone largely, but the natural defects of
the instrument remain untouched. Manufacturers, was also unsuccessful.
It now remains to consider the defects which
composers and artists have one and all striven—
and rightly so—to minimize and conceal, as far as these previous attempts contained, and the means
possible, the three inherent defects of the instru- which Mr. Machell has taken in the Dulcitone to
ment, viz: the quick dying away of the tone in obviate them. It is unnecessary to state, perhaps,
the middle register immediately after the blow that our Scottish inventor feels certain that he has
has been struck, the extreme shortness of tone in accomplished his object successfully. Certainly
the upper register and the almost complete absence the Dulcitone appears to be on sale regularly, and
Mr. Machell says that the demand is more than
of root or fundamental tone in the lower register,
he can normally supply. This is at least prima
facie evidence in support of his case. •
"KEYBOARD PERCUSSION INSTRU=
MENTS."
FAUST SCHOOL OF TUNING
Piamo, PUyer-PiuM, Pipe aid Reed Organ Toning and Re-
pairing, alto Regulating, Voicing, Vanuking and Polishing.
This formerly was the tuning department of the New Eng-
land Conservatory of Music, and Oliver C. Faust was head
of that department for 20 years previous to its discontinu-
ance.
Courses in mathematical piano scale construction and
drafting of same have been added.
Pupili have daily practise in Chickering & Sons' factory
Year Book aent free upon request.
17-29 GAINSBOROUGH ST., BOSTON, MASS.
The inherent defects of the tuning fork instru-
ment, then, Mr. Machell considers to be as fol-
lows: First, its high cost of manufacture; second,
its prohibitive size; third, the thudding sound made
by the hammers in striking the forks; and fourth,
the unsatisfactory quality of tone derived. Each
of these difficulties Mr. Machell believes that he
has obviated. His methods are interesting and
will here be described.
In the first place, the Dulcitone is constructed
with shankless tuning forks. These are rolled
steel bars bent into shape in mandrels. These forks
are not rigidly connected with a sound-board or
other resonating device, but are fastened securely
by one prong on the end nearest to the bend or
loop of the fork, while at the other end of the
same prong a light spring connection is made with
a sound-board. Forks and board are horizontal,
the former being suspended right " over the
board.
It is especially to be noted that the spring sus-
pension is made on that node of one prong which
corresponds with the position of the tuning-fork
harmonic, mentioned by Ellis, to which I called
attention in my article of November 16. The
hammer strikes the fork on the other or free prong,
but at the same node. The fork is secured in
position by a fastening on the node which cor-
responds with the fundamental tone; that is to say,
nearly at the end of the prong. By thus securing
the fork in two places at suitable nodes by one
prong and striking with the hammer on the other
prong at the node of the Ellis partial, Mr. Machell
asserts that he entirely eliminates the thudding or
clinking noise which is always heard when a tun-
ing fork is held by its shank and struck. It will
be remembered that the Machell forks have no
shanks. The third is due, of course, to the prom-
inence of the Ellis partial.
It is well known to all students of acoustics that
a partial or group of partials originating at any
node of a vibrating string, rod or plate will be
eliminated if the vibrating body is struck precisely
at that node. Hence the elimination of the dis-
agreeable accompanying sound is very likely as
complete as Mr. Machell asserts.
The Machell sound-board is also interesting.
The inventor states that he has found it best to
use a board of uniform thickness, and without ribs,
having the bass end free. This is in distinction
from the common practice of piano making.
The Dulcitone is provided with a down striking
action as before noted, so that the amount of space
occupied thereby is reduced. The general external
appearance is that of a small portable reed organ,
minus the bellows pedals, and the weight of the
largest size (compass five octaves A 1 to A 6) is
only fifty pounds. There is a damper to each
fork and a damper pedal.
Mr. Machell also states that by reason of his
peculiar system of striking the forks, whereby the
fundamental tones are produced practically with-
out any admixture of partials, the fundamentals
sound with such strength that the lower tones give
the impression of being really an octave lower
than they really are. He also says that the sus-
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