1816.} [ 431 ] 



PATENTS LATELY ENROLLED. 



To John Maf.lzel, for the Metronome, 

 or Musical Time keeper. 



THE oljjpct of this invention is two- 

 fold: 1st. It affords to tlie com- 

 posers of every coinitry the means of 

 indicalinjj, in a simple and decisive 

 maimer, the dcfjrec of quickness witli 

 %vhich their works are to he execnted. 

 2111^. If acenstonis the yoniig practi- 

 tioner to a correct o'lservance of time, 

 Avhich if hcafs with nnerrin"; precision, 

 and according to any velocity reqnired, 

 during the whole performance. 



Tiie Metronome consists of a portable 

 little obelisk or pyramid, scarcely a foot 

 high, the decoraied exterior of which 

 renders it an ornamentiil piece of fmiii-. 

 ture. Its inferior contains a simple mc- 

 ehanical apjiaratiis, with a scale re- 

 sembling that of a thermometer. Ac- 

 cording to what number on this scale 

 the index is set to, the anilibic beats pro- 

 duced will be found to embrace the 

 whole gradation of musical time, from 

 the slowest Adagio to the quickest 

 Presto. . 



The metronomic scale is not borrowed 

 from the measures of length peculiar to 

 any one country, but is founded on the 

 division of lime into minutes. The mi- 

 nute being lhu>;, as it were, the element 

 of the metronomic scale its divisicms are 

 thereby rendered intelligible antl apjilica- 

 ble in every connfry ; an nnive7-sal stand- 

 ard measure for mnstcnl time is thus ob- 

 tained, and its correctness may be i)roved 

 at all times by comparison with a stop- 

 watch. 



At the top of tlie obeHsk is a small 

 iid, with a hinge to its back. On lifting 

 this lid, the upper part of the front of the 

 obelisk is pushed forward by a spring, so 

 as to enable its being taken out and ])ut 

 aside; at the same fi e the steel pen- 

 dulum, together with the scale bi hind 

 it, will likewise fly forward into a per- 



Cendicular direction, and a small key 

 e found under the upjjer lid. This 

 Iccy fits a hole contrived about the n)id- 

 dleof one of the siiles of the obelisk, and 

 TWith if the clock-work is v>onnd up and 

 the pendulum uuide fo move. lis mo- 

 tion mav lie stopped at pleasure by a 

 small brass bolt lived fo the top. These 

 preparations 'nude, t'.ie directions to be 

 given for u>iing the iusfriiment may be 

 elaiiNed UMd«r tw<i heads. 



A sliding weight is attached to the 

 rod, or st<!el pendulum: the higher np 

 tbi» wc)(,'lit i* dhifted, the !tlowci' will be 

 1 



the \ibratious, and viee versa: so that 

 when the weight corresponds with the 

 number 50, the vibrations will Ije the 

 slowest possible; at No. 160 tiiey will 

 be the quickest. 



These numbers have all reference to a 

 ■minute of time; viz. when the weto-ht 

 is |)laced at .50, (iffy beats or ticks will 

 be obtained in each minute; when at 

 60, sixty beats in a miimfe {i. e. sc.conds 

 precisely); when at 100, one hundred 

 boats in a minute: any sfop-watch, 

 therefore, will show how far the cor- 

 rectness of tlie ]\Ietronorac may be de- 

 pended on. 



The Doubles of the numbers on the 

 scale answer to a precisely douhle degree 

 of velocity: thus, if 50 be the pro|)et 

 nHnd)er for a minim, 100 is the nunilx^ 

 for the crotciiets in the same movement; 

 if 60 serves for crotchets, 1'20 expresses 



t'le quavers m tJie same inovcment, Ike. 



The numbers omitted on the scale have 

 been found practically unnecessary. 



The composer is best able to judge 

 from the nature of his movement^ whe- 

 ther to mark its time by minims, crot- 

 chets, quavers, SvC. Generiilly speaking-, 

 it will be found, that in Adagios 

 it is most convenient to mark the time on 

 the Metronome by quavers, in Andantes 

 by crotchets, in Allegros by minims, and 

 in Prestos by whole bars. As often, how- 

 ever, as the case may admit of so doing-, 

 it is desinible that the pendulum should 

 be made to strike integral parts of a bar, 

 just as a master would beat or count the 

 time; i. e. 



In I, i and :| time the rod shonhf, 

 whene\er i)ossible, beat ^, or one 

 crotchet. 



In I and f time the rod should, when 

 ever possible, beat \, or one quaver. 



This being premised, suppose a com- 

 poser desires to time a movement in 4 

 time, which, according to the prcst;nt 

 system, would be called an Allegro: let 

 tiie weight, by way of trial, be placed 

 against No. 80 ; and two r)r three bars 

 of the mov( luont be played, to asf:erlain 

 whether, altiiat number, each beat falls 

 in with the degree of quickness desired 

 for one minim or two crotchets. If it 

 beat too slowly, .shift the weight down- 

 wards, until, by two or three trials, a 

 place Csuijpose at 84) has bcc-n found for 

 the weiuhf, at which the pendulum beats 

 the minim in the precise :legree of qui<k- 

 ness contemplatecl for the <lue jierfor- 

 muiicc of the moveiwcnt; it being well 

 understood 



