V 
376 MUSIC. 
metal exempted tliefe from any fenfible change of tone, 
fuch as the changes of the atmofphere mult always pro¬ 
duce in wires or firings. At the fame time, the very na¬ 
ture of the conllruCtion would caufe the inllrument to 
have a fomewhat hard tone, and to fpeak flowly; but for 
andante, adagio, and largo, movements, fuch as are ge¬ 
nerally the fublimeft and moft pathetic in the ferious 
opera, and the moft; admirable in oratorio-mufic, (the two 
higheft departments of this divine art.) it feems probable 
that this inllrument would have had the advantage over 
every other. Mr. Cape! Lofft fays, “ The clearnefs, pu¬ 
rity, and fulinefs of tone, the beauty of fwell and dimi¬ 
nution, which diftinguilhed it, were inconceivable.” But 
Mr. Lydiatt, who “ was engaged with Mr. Clagget, in 
an attempt to remove thofe mechanical difficulties in its 
conftruclion, which retarded the approximation to per¬ 
fection of an invention which, by its novelty, attracted 
fome approbation and encouragement from the fcientific 
world,” has given a lefs favourable but more juft account, 
which we extract from the Monthly Magazine before 
quoted. 
“ The effeCts produced by this inllrument in pathetic 
compoiitions, were extremely fublime, but very equivo¬ 
cal ; as will be eafily conceived by a reference to the me- 
chanifm, which I fdiall briefly attempt to give fome idea of. 
The tones were produced from forks made of Heel, in 
the manner of the pitch-fork ufed for tuning inllruments, 
except thofe to produce the bal’s, the prongs of which 
were hollow tubes inllead of folid maffes of metal. Thele 
were prefled by the touch of the key on a revolving belt of 
feal-lkin, about an inch broad. The hair-fide, which re¬ 
ceived the prefl'ure of the fork, was rubbed with a pre¬ 
paration of rofin, and the forks themfelves were thinly 
coated with the fame fubftance. From this, it will be 
feen, that the tones were drawn from tliefe metallic forks 
in the fame manner as from the firings of a violin by the 
bow; but by no means fo inllantaneoufly. It was in¬ 
deed, as has been obferved, flow to fpeak: and by the 
friCtion of the belt againft the metal, in the performance 
of a few bars, the rolin was in a great meafure taken off, 
and its imperfections confequently became more evident. 
This was the Hate of the aieuton at the death of its in¬ 
ventor ; the misfortune of whofe life it was, to have ideas 
theoretically fublime, but deficient in practical utility.” 
The imperfections of both tliefe inllruments, arofe from 
the impoffibility of fupplying the fiddle-bows regularly 
and equally with rofin. Clagget’s had the additional in¬ 
convenience of the metallic forks, which could never pro¬ 
duce a very pleafing tone. Clagget was, however, a man 
of very interefting manners, and refpeCtable character, 
who difintereftedly devoted many years of his life to the 
improvement both of keyed and wind inftruments; whofe 
merit in both was acknowledged by unqueftionablejudges; 
whofe l'cience, and talle, and judgment, accompanied him 
to the grave, with little earthly reward. 
While we are upon the fubjeCt of curious inventions, 
we mull not omit to mention, that Meffrs. Kauffman, 
fenior and junior, of Drefden, have lately exhibited four 
inftruments compofing an orcheftra, which they call the 
Kelloneon, the Cordalaudion , the Automaton Trumpeter, 
and the Harmonicord. The upper part of the Belloneon 
exhibits a trophy of arms, in the midft of which are placed 
twenty-four trumpets reverfed ; and the lower part in- 
clofes two kettle-drums with their flicks. It executes 
flourifhes and marches with extraordinary perfection. If 
it contained other wind-inllruments, it might be com¬ 
pared with Maelzl’s Panharmonicon, now exhibiting in 
London. The Cordalaudion produces together and fe- 
parately the founds of the piano-forte and four flutes, 
which play with fuch precifion and accuracy, that the il- 
lulion is complete. The Automaton gives out trumpet- 
notes with double founds. But tliefe inftruments, though 
highly curious, are furpafled by the Harmonicord. It is 
fliaped like an upright piano-forte : a cylinder is adapted 
to it, and turns at a very fmall diftance from the firings. 
which are the fame as thofe of the piano. By prefling 
down the keys, which embrace four oClaves and a half, 
the friCtion is effected. Two pedals ferve to make the 
rotation of the cylinder quicker or flower, and to render 
the vibration ftronger or weaker. Under the hands of 
Meffrs. Kauft’mann, this inftrument is faid to give out 
fweeter tones than the harmonica, and to produces a truly 
celeftial harmony. 
Of the Tuning of Keyed Inftruments. —The flunking im¬ 
provements which have been made in modern times in 
the manufacture of keyed inftruments, will be admitted 
by every one who is in any degree converfant with mufic ; 
and we have been credibly informed, that one very emi¬ 
nent piano-forte maker has for years paft expended a 
thoufand pounds annually in experiments. But this 
branch of the art feems to be fo circumflanced as natu¬ 
rally to defy all attempts at perfection. It is well known 
that our piano-fortes and organs have, in general, only 
12 notes in every oCtave; but that, mathematically fpeak- 
ing, there are a great many more. Convenience will not 
permit the number now in ufg~to be much augmented, 
though in fome inftruments the number of finger-keys 
in every oCtave exceeds 12 ; but none could poffibly ex¬ 
tend to comprehend all the- neceffary notes, without 
being abfolutely unmanageable by the performer. At¬ 
tempts have therefore been made of late to adapt the 
ufual number and fcale of finger-keys to a larger num¬ 
ber of notes, by means of fluffing pedals: a very Am¬ 
ple contrivance for this purpofe, has been devifed by 
Mr. Loefchman, of Newman-ftreet; and fomething of 
the fame kind has been invented by the Rev. Mr. Lifter. 
Some of the defeCls, however, will never be completely 
removed ; and to cure them in part is to have a part more 
perfeCl, and the remainder more imperfeCt, than in the 
generality of inftruments : fo that it is perhaps bell, un¬ 
der all circumftances, to reft contented with the means 
which have been long fince adopted for removing, or ra¬ 
ther compromifing, the difficulty. This is what is deno¬ 
minated temperament; and it confifts in dividing the ma¬ 
thematical dilcrepances between different notes fo that 
they may approximate to each other : for inftance, where 
an interval would occur between and Eb in the key 
of C, and both might be wanted in that or in fome key : 
it is cuftomary to raife the lower, and fink the higher, of 
thofe two notes in a trifling degree, fo as to make them 
ferve for each other. The ear fcarcely appreciates this 
management in any cafe, and therefore no unpleafant ef- 
feCt is produced. Some fingers, indeed, complain that 
the voice is not fo tradable in this refpeCt; but it is per¬ 
haps not evident that any good foundation exifts for the 
affertion; and it feems probable, that the voice is not 
more accurate than the ear. The objection, however, is 
made clearly perceptible by the monochord, to the de- 
feription of which contrivance Dr. Crotch has allotted 
the laft chapter of his work on Mufical Compofition. 
That inftrument is merely a Angle firing drained to any 
given degree of tenfion over two bridges, in the manner 
of a violin-firing. When founded open, it gives a cer¬ 
tain note ; when divided into two equal parts by prefl'ure 
in the middle, it gives the oCtave of the firft; at two 
thirds, a fifth, and fo on ; as explained at p. 323 of this 
article. As the fcale becomes more refined, the numbers 
are either not reducible to any fractional denomination, 
or require very extended denominators ; and, to give tjie 
whole their tones with perfeCl accuracy even to the extent 
to which compofition is fometimes praCtiled, 2+ notes 
would be required in every oCtave, and Hill it would not 
be mathematically perfeCt. Mr. Loefchman, in a perfpi- 
cuous little pamphlet publifhed by him in explanation of 
his improved piano-fortes, has ftated the exaCt relative 
values of the notes in the following numbers : C 3600 ; 
C* 344.5 ; Db 3364; 3297; D 3220 ; D* 3081 ; Eb 
3009; E 2880; Fb 2811; E* 2756; F 2691; F^ 2576 j 
Gb25i5; F** 2465; G2407 j G*2 304; Abs^o; A 2153; 
Bbb aioi j A* 2061 ■, Bb 201: 5 B 1926 j cb 1881 ; B 1 * 
1843 i 
