US1762274A - Organ - Google Patents

Description

June 10, 1930. q MARR 1,762,274

ORGAN Filed Oct. 20,1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 nwwwwwfiww i I I VENTOR 2 ZS ATTO EY S June 10, 1930.

0. MARR ORGAN Filed Oct, 20. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 IIfLVENTOR BY 2 K &5 ATTORNEYS Patented June 10, 1930 PATENT OFFICE DAVID MARE, OF WARSAW, NEW YORK ORGAN Application filed October 20, 1926. Serial No. 142,792.

This invention relates to musical instruments, and more particularly to pipe organs, one object of the invention being to provide an organ having an improved stop mecha- 5 nism of such a character as to make it easy for any organist to quickly select and render the correct tone colors for any desired musical action, mood or emotion.

Another object is to provide such a mechanism comprising a means whereby the organist may devote maximum attention to the technical requirements of the composition being performed with a minimum amount of interruption in operating the stop keys. Another object is to provide a stop mechanism of such character that it may be easily and unerringly operated by an organist unfamiliar with the particular combination of stops connected with the stop keys. A further object is to provide an organ stop mechanism so constructed and arranged as to materially facilitate the operation of the same by an unskilled organist. Still a further object is to provide an organ construction particularly adapted and convenient for the accompaniment of motion pictures, and provided with stop keys, each having associated therewith, as by means of a descriptive word or words, the corresponding tone color, so that even an unskilled organist or one unfamiliar with the organ may quickly and correctly render the correct tone colors for each sense, emotion or action portrayed on the screen in accurately timed relation with the same. i 1

To these and other ends the invention resides in certain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of an organ keyboard embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlargement of a portion shown in Figure l, to illustrate the additional stop keys and the indicating means for the same; and

- Figure 3 is a schematic illustration of an organ mechanism embodying the present invention.

Similar reference numerals throughout the several views indicate-the same parts.

The modern organ is commonly provided with a series of stop keys as indicated for example at 5, Figures 1 and 3, for controlling the tonal colors or combinations. Such keys, however, have been commonly unmarked or merely numbered or provided with the technical names of stops or other musical instruments, the organist having to rely upon his memory as to the meaning in terms of actual tone color of such designations, as well as the combination of stops controlled by each key, and also to distinguish between the dif ferent keys, with the result that the attention has been distracted from the performance of the composition to the operation of the stops. This has been particularly the case in the operation of strange organs and in performances by unskilled organists, and these difficulties are present to a still greater degree in playing an accompaniment for motion pictures, where the tone colors must be quickly and abruptly changed to correspond with the changing emotions portrayed on the screen.

It has been found that these difiiculties may be effectively solved by selectively grouping the organ stops to correspond with the range of musical moods and emotions and providing the keyboard with a stop key for each combination visually marked to clearly describe the tone color of the same in terms of: a mood or situation, as by means of a clearly descriptive word or words or an appropriate color marking. Thus Figure 1. shows a two manual keyboard comprising keys 6. In ad dition to the usual series of stop keys for hand registration shown at 5, there is provided an additional or auxiliary series of stop keys 7, each connected as hereinafter described with a corresponding group of stops. This series of keys and corresponding stop combinations represents the full range of musical moods. Each of these keys 7 is marked with a visual indication clearly expressing the particular shade of tone produced by the operation of the same. Such marking may have different forms, such as a word or words directly expressing the tone color in terms of a mood or situation as at 8, or color indications, such as the disks 9 conventionally lined to indicate the colors commonly used on the score to in dicate the corresponding tone value. Preferably such indications are placed directly on the keys inwardly of the outer ends of the same so as to be conveniently and quickly read by the organist.

The operating mechanism for the stop keys is shown diagrammatically in Figure 3 as composed of devices which are individually well known in the art. Thus each auxiilary key 7 has a rear arm 10 of conducting material connected in circuit, as by means of a wire 11 with a source of power 12. This key end, in rising as the key is depressed, contacts momentarily at 13 with spaced contacts let. The latter are connected with a magnet 15 in the oit switch. This magnet raises its armature controlling the usual valve port by which the wind in the valve pneumatic 16 is exhausted. The collapsing pneumatic lowers a double valve 17 so that the wind passes through a channel 18 into a large pneumatic 19. lVhen a stop key 7 is fully depressed its end 10 breaks connection with the contacts let so that magnet 15 is denergized with the result that valve 17 is again raised by its inflated pneumatic 16 and the wind passes from the large pneumatic 19 through the channel 18 into a box 20 having a bleed hole 21 controlled by a regulating block or choke 22. The regulation of this choke block varies the amount of opening of the bleed hole, and governs the speed at which the large pneumatic 19 is exhausted.

The large pneumatic 19 carries a contact 23 positioned to engage with a cooperating contact 9% when the pneumatic is inflated. Contact 2% is connected by a wire 25 with a magnet 26 in the off machine 27. Vhen pneumatic 19 is inflated magnet 26 is energized. with the result that the valve 28 of the oil machine is lowered and wind is admitted from the off machine through a channel 29 to pipes 30 and 31 leading to the stop key off pneumatics 32 and 33 respectively. These pneumatics, of which there is one for each registrator stop key. pull all of these keys ofi except the one depressed to cause the operation.

hen the auxiliary stop key '7 is fully depressed its end 10 engages also with a contact 3% thus sending current through the wire 35 to the relay magnet 36. This raises the magnet armature controlling the usual valve for exhausting the pneumatic 37 so that valve 38 is lowered, transmitting wind through passage 39 to a contact pneumatic 40. This pneumatic carries a contact 41 which, upon inflation, enga 'es a cooperating contact plate 1 2 to which are connected the stop wires 43 leading to the combination board 44. This combination board comprises the usual stop spreader 45 connected by wires through the main cable 46 with the stop spreader 47 at the organ end to which all of the stops are wired. At 48 is the usual switch and at 49 the switch action, which parts, together with the various solo accompaniment and pedal relays indicated generally at 50 and the pipe chest 51, are well understood in the art and require no further description. At 52 are shown the solo manual keys, and accompaniment keys, and 53 represents the pedal keys which are connected in the usual manner and likewise require no description.

The invention thus provides an organ keyboard with a stop key for each of a complete gamut of tone colors, each key marked with a word or words or with a color to clearly describe its particular tone in terms of a corresponding mood or situation. By mood or situation is meant, of course, the mood, emotion, action or situation desired to be expressed. Of course an organist may select and combine the stops with the ditlerent keys to suit his particular taste, and such a stop key system greatly reduces the attention which must be devoted to it at the expense of proper handling of the technical difficulties of the composition being played. Such an arrangement moreover largely solves the problem of playing unaccustomed organs, and the difiiculties of unskilled organists, and greatly facilitates the manipulation of the stops in the diflicult work of accompanying the rapidly changing moods of motion pictures. Thus even an unskilled organist, playing a strange organ to accompany a motion picture film, upon a sudden change in the action or situation as, for example, the protrayal of a riot scene, does not have to first translate this situation into the technical terms of the usual organ stops or to recollect and select combinations of the same, but may immediately press a stop key marked riot or with some other word directly and. imme diately expressive of the particular tone color desired, which may thus be unerringly and readily produced in an appropriate and well balanced tonal combination. The invention thus greatly facilitates the playing of an organ particularly as an accompaniment for the rapidly successive scenes of motion picture projection, especially by an unskilled organist or one playing an unfamiliar orgill].

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with an organ mechanism comprising a series of stop keys. of an additional series of keys for controlling se lected groups of stops controlled by the stop keys of said first-named series, the. keys o'l said last-named series being provided with visual indicating means inherently expressing the tone color produced by the operation of the keys of said additional series.

2. The combination with an or an mechanism comprising a series of stop eys, of an additional series of keys for controlling selected groups of stops controlled by the stop keys of said first-named series, the keys of said last-named series being each provided with a color marking, and also with one or more words inherently expressing the tone color produced by the operation thereof.

3. The combination with an organ mechanism comprising a series of stop keys each g controlling a predetermined selection of stops, of means for visually indicating the tone color obtained by such selections.

4. In an organ mechanism, a series of stop keys for controlling certain stops, an additional series of keys, means whereb said latter keys control selected groups 0 stops actuated by said first named stop keys, and means for visually indicating the tone'color produced by the operation of each key of the said additional series of keys.

5. In an organ construction, the combination with a multiplicity of organ stops, of a series of combination stops each operatively connected relatively permanently to a plurality of selected organ stops, and means on each combination stop for indicating visually by mere inspection the general tonal characteristics of the plurality of organ stops connected to such combination stop.

DAVID MARR.

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