US257808A - Harp - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.)

' c I'. ZIMMERMANN.

HARE',

Patented May 9, 1882.

mm ma l mamam //FV/A [N VEN T OR III /l llll/ az I ' WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. ZIMMERMA NN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HARP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,808, dated May 9, 1882. 4

(No model.)

To all whom it may conccr n:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. ZIMMER- MANN, a citizen of the United States, resident of the city and county of Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harps, of which the following is a specification, rel'erence being had to the acconpanying d rawings, wherein Figure lis a plan ot'a harp with my improvements shown as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation on line 1 l, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section on line 22, Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a similar View on line 3 3, Fi 1; and Fig. 5 is a broken plan, partlyin section, of the appliances constituting my invention, and shown as drawn to an enlarged scale.

My invention has rela-tion to harps, and has for its object to provide a harp with appliances designed and adapted to be operated to come into contact With certain determined strings of such instrument to reduce them to silence and render them incapable of vibratii'g to give a musical tone during such contact. Such appliances l call trigger-bars, and they are arranged transversely with the strings of the harp. A larp so provided has the size of a zither, and which I term an autoharpfi and the manner in which theinstrument is played is entirely new. The player glides with the thumb ot' his right hand over all the soundingstrings of the instrument to the tone of the melody, while the different trigger-bars render those strings silent which do not belong to the respcnsive clord, such trigger-bars simply do ing the work of the performer, who does not now need his left hand for the accompaniment, the tones of the different chords being given by the various trigger-bars. Each one of the latter renders certain strings of the autoharp silent, so that the remaining strings eompose a certain chord. The more strings and trigger-bars applied to such instrument the more perfect the latter will be. The instrument may be used for accompaniment to the voice or another musical instrument, or the melody may be played at the same time with the accompaniment, as on any other harp.

My invention has for .its further object to provide the autoharp with tri gger-bar arran ged to simultaneously contact with or touch all the strings ot' the instrument in the middle of their length, thus temporarily shortening such strings and raising their tone, thereby providing means whereby a melody may be played upon harps in the different oetaves. Such trigger-bar I call the flageclet trigger-bar, because by its contact with the harpstrings the latter then give the fiageolet or falsetto tones when struek. Sueh trigger must always touch the middle of the strings. This requirement rendered it necessary to change the shape of the common zither to that shown in the drawings, so that such bar can be placed immediately across the middle of each string ot' the harp.

My invention accordingiy consists ot' a hap shaped as shown in the drawings, and which is provided with two sets of triggcnbars, each such bar being provided with depending fin gers located and arranged thereon, so that when the bar is moved said fingers will come in contact with the strings of the instrument for the purpose above set forth.

teferring to the aceompanying drawings,A represents my autoharp of the required shape, as showni c., wider in the middle than atits ends, the latter being corrcsponlingly configured. (t a represent the strings thereot' tued to the natural scale or key. The sides a' a ot' such harp are provided with receptacles or boxes B B', having partitions or dividing-strips b b for 'orming a series ot' chambers or bearings in such receptacles. The latter are centrally located upon the harp, as shown, and are adapted for and designed to receive the cnds of a series ot' bars, C C', extending across the harpstrings a slight distance above the same, asindieated in 1`igs.3 and 4. Sueh bars or push-rods, or, as I shall hereinafter term them, triggersj are provided' with push-but tous e c and springs c' c', as shown, so that when manual pressure is applied to said but tous said triggers are pushed in their (letermined paths of movement, the reaction of springs c' c' reversely moving such triggers when such pressure is released from said buttons. I

The triggers U (3' are provided on their under sides with a series ot' depending fingers, c u located between the harp-strings, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and are of such length that IOO they will engage or contact with the strings when the triggers are moved.

The triggers G C represent the chord-triggers, and are more plainly shown in Fig. etthat is, each said trigger has its depending fingers 0 0 so arranged that when pushed in the direction iudicated by arrow x it will reduce to silence or cut out of the natural seale certain strings of the harp or autoharp which do not belong to the chords wanted.

The instrument may have a diatonic scale of fifteen strings or a ehromatic seale of thirty or more strings, and accordingly two to seven or more trigger-bars, C. Each of these trigger-bars may render it possible to select two, or even three and four, chords by working such bar one way or the other, it resting between two springs, c' c', one at each end, which keep the fingers or teeth ot' the 'bar between the strings when not in use.

To provide for convenient and ready ascertainment ot' the required trigger to be pushed for any of the chords, a series of numbers or other characters representing the ehords may be placed upon the side a', directly in front or in line with the ends of such triggers, as shown at D, Fig. 2. Such trigger-bars G themselves select the accompaninent e., the different tones ot' the various chords-so that the performer, by simply gliding over all the strings and changing the trigger-bars, can perform as many arpeggio chords :s are provided for in the trigger-bars, the number ot' which is not limited and may embrace the harmonies ot' all i y, or the reverse of that in which triggers G are moved. Such arrangement is merely for the eonvenienee of the harpist, and is not therefore a necessary one, as all ot' said triggers may, if desired, be moved in the same drection. When such tlageolet-triggeris moved as described all of its depending fingers come into contact with all of the strings of the harp, respeetively, as illustrated in Fig. 3, such Contacting of all of the strings of the instrument having the effect of temporarily shortcningthem. Consequentlywhentheyarethen vibrated they give a note in ahigher key, and a melody then played tlereon will be rendered in one ot' the octaves. It is for this reason that I term such trigger the flageolet or oc-' tave trigger.

It will be noticed that bar G' is arranged transversely over the middle of all the strings of the instrument and so adjusted that when moved its triggers touch them lightly at such point, thereby producing the falsetto or flageolet tone.

It' desired, the strings of the harp may be numhered and such numbers placed upon the triggers, as shown at e, Fig. 1. Such nethod of so numbering the strings upon the triggers maybe that copyrighted to me January3, 1871; or any other suitable or desired notification ot' such strings may be employed. Such figures or numbers are used instead of notes. NVhen the strings are so noted or charaeterized the harp may then be mechanieall y played or performed upon in all the various scales and ehords by a person unfamiliar with the harp, provided such person be furnished with numbered or characterized music corresponding to the notification placed upon the triggers. For this reason I denominate a harp provided with the said described tri ggers and numbered strings or scalemarked thereon an autoharpi' When the triggers are not in use the springs c' c' keep their depending fingers out of contact with the harp-strings, so that, it' desired, the latter may be manipulated in the usual or customary manner.

It is evident that my invention is entirely different from the pedals ot' aharp, or devices to take the place ot" such pedals, which merely change the vibration, length, and tone of the strings without rendering any of them silent, while my trigger-bars are enployed to do the work heretofore done by the pert'ormer with the left hand. The latter in my instrument does not need to be used for the aecompaniment, the tones ot' the different chords being given by the different trigger-bars.

What I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. The combination, with a harp of the form substantially as shown and described, ot' aseries of bars, C U, arranged transversely across the strings thereof, and provided with depending teeth or fingers designed and adapted to come in contact with and silence or cutout certain strings when said bais are moved, substantially as set forth.

2. In a harp of the form substantially as shown and described, the combination of trigger-bars O andC thelatterbeingplaced transversely across the middle ot' the strings of the harp, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In eornbination with harp A, the transversely-arranged triggers C C', provided with depending fingers or teeth c resting at one end against springs c c', substantially as shown, and for the purpose set i'orth.

4. The combination, with a harp of the form shown and described, ot' a series ot' triggerbars arrauged transversely across the strings of said harp, and constructed, substantially as shown and described, i'or silencing certain strings thereof, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set ny hand this Dth day ot' December, 1881.

CHARLES F. ZlltIMEl-MANN.

Witnesses:

EUGENE ZIEGLER, Mrs. Emra E. Born.

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