Terpodion

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terpodion by Johann David Buschmann (1773-1852). Municipal Museums of Young Art and Viadrina, Frankfurt (Oder)

The terpodion or uranion is a keyboard instrument for which, as with the more well-known glass harmonica and the clavicylinder, friction is used to generate sound.

Instead of the rotating glass bells, a painted wooden drum rotates. 25 of the instrument were built, most of them by Friedrich Buschmann , the son of Johann David Buschmann, the inventor of this instrument. He was originally a trimmers and before the development of the Terpodion he dealt with the repair of musical instruments. In 1817 this instrument had a range of 5.5 octaves. In 1821 an instrument came to London, in 1821 David Buschmann sold a license to build terpodiums in London to the instrument maker David Loeschmann (Loescham) and the cheese dealer James Allwright. At least one terpodion in England was built on it.

In 1841 another report appeared in a London newspaper. Some instruments have been preserved in the museums in Copenhagen, Leipzig, Vienna, London, Brussels, Stockholm, Jevišovice and Frankfurt / Oder.

License

In addition to the license, which was granted to Löschmann in London in 1821, the piano and organ builder Johann Georg Gröber from Innsbruck also acquired a license to replicate the Terpodion from his father Johann David Buschmann in 1835 .

Design

A Terpodion played, (sound sample)
Terpodion, interior view
Terpodion, patent drawing

According to the tone generation, the terpodion belongs to the friction idiophones . There is a certain relationship with the glass harmonica and the clavicylinder. With the glass harmonica, the tone is created by rubbing the glass bulb with wet fingers. With the Terpodion, a structure rubs against a rotating roller, which can be made to vibrate. These vibrating parts are mostly made of wood in the lower tones, and mainly made of metal in the high tones. Adjustable weights on the vibrating parts are used for tuning. The roller is made of boxwood or, as can be seen in the cited patent, of other materials. The roller was coated with a special paint mixture, which was sanded after it had dried out. The composition of this lacquer solution is critical. The exact composition is in the patent specification (2 parts alcohol , 1 part mastic , 1 part sandarac , 1/16 part camphor ).

The vibrating parts are pressed against the rotating roller by the key mechanism. A kind of hammer comes into contact with the roller, which is covered with roughened suede. This hammer is also impregnated with lacquer. The volume can be changed by pressing a button, but becomes much quieter towards the lower tones while maintaining the same level of expressiveness. There are sound samples from repaired instruments.

Most of the time, the instruments did not work reliably for very long and had to be regularly serviced by Buschmann. This may have been one of the reasons the Bushmen worked feverishly to improve and use an alternative sound generator. The instrument had piano keys and looked like the harmonium . The successor models were also very often combined with tongue registers . It is therefore difficult to make an exact assignment to a specific group of instruments. The Buschmann family thus played a very important role in the development of the harmonium, both in pressure and suction instruments.

Dietz's Melodion

The Melodion or Panmelodion was also very similar . The instrument, invented by Dietz in Emmerich and built from 1806, was presented by Petzhold (or Betzold) in many places at performances. There was only one major difference: all clay sticks were made of metal. "The sound is produced by the friction of metal rods [...] by means of the revolving cylinder surrounded by an elastic body, which [...] is kept in motion with the player's feet, [...]"

Far more instruments were made of the Melodion than of the Terpodeon. “His factory is already in such a pile that it is resistant to thirty [(30)] instruments. Most of the sales are now limited to neighboring Holland and Westphalia, where the inventor himself [demonstrated] this instrument on a short trip […]. ”In contrast to the clavicylinder, nothing was moistened. “- And brought forth without the use of water; the inner […] mechanism is probably most similar to that of the Chladnian piano cylinder, but is less composed and far more perfectly executed. ”The tuning or retuning of the tone rods by up to plus minus a quarter note was done using an adjusting screw for each note. Normally, however, retuning was not necessary as the metal tone sticks hardly went out of tune. Dietz also invented the Chalybssonnans , in which the friction tone on glass and steel rods is generated lengthways. The tone is almost completely similar to that of the glass harmonica.

The Melodica of Riffelsen

Panharmonicon construction drawing

The Melodica by Riffelsen, which was performed in Altona , Copenhagen and Kiel around 1805, is comparable . Riffelsen came from fishing , which lies on the then border with Schleswig . The rotating drum was made of iron and the swinging structures were made of brass. “Riffelsen invents a new musical instrument, which he calls melodica. In Copenhagen, Mr. Riffelsen from Holstein, who teaches mechanics at the educational institute of the court preacher Christian, has invented a new musical instrument, the tones being produced by the friction of brass pins on a steel cylinder. In terms of tone, this instrument has the greatest resemblance to the [glass] harmonica, is provided with a keyboard, and surpasses the harmony through the ease with which the tone is won and through the fullness and strength of the bass tones. It will be called Melodica. Arnstadt weekly advertisements and news, 8th St. 1803. "

Panmelodicon by Franz Leppich

The Panmelodicon by Franz Leppich used a conical rotating drum and angularly bent brass metal rods. The range was five full octaves, from the capital С to the four times bowed C. On March 29, 1810 he gave a concert with Kreutzer in the Imperial and Royal Redoutensaal . It is also worth mentioning that he owns and has made other inventions. Conradin Kreutzer, who became famous all over Europe for his hiking songs set to music for Ludwig Uhland , later lived in Vienna and performed a pan melodion that came from the hand of Franz Leppich, Mr. Franz Leppich (born October 15, 1778) learned Riffelsein, who was touring Danish at the same time, knowing in Altona, built his Melodeon with him, which Franz Leppich later rebuilt and improved in Vienna before 1810. He was allowed to demonstrate the instrument Napoleon, which he received recognition. The artists also performed in the Augarten, but the concert was postponed four times, including on June 5, 1810. Reason: the instrument did not survive transport without damage, or it was too cold for the outdoor performances. In the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung 1810 on page 404 there is a note that he developed the instrument with Riffelsen and that all materials can be used for the sounding parts, including wood and lead, which he attributes a particularly beautiful sound. A detailed description with a drawing and suggestions for improvement can also be found in this issue of the magazine. Further reports clarify that Leppich meant sound bars made of baked clay with “tallow” or “unschlitt”.

Original description for Leppich's and Riffelsen's instrument

In the Allgemeine Musikischen Zeitung of 1811 there is a good description of the function of the instrument and with estimated dimensions that are sufficient to reproduce the instrument almost exactly. The description is actually that of an instrument built by Riffelsen in 1809.

The Uthe xylosistron

The organ and instrument maker Uthe Hohlstädt near Sangerhausen invented the xylosistron, which is also comparable to the Terpodion. Uthe had worked in Berlin under Georg Joseph Vogler .

More inventions

In 1812 there is still a list of inventions that were new at the time: glass harmonica, euphon , callipson, melodion, anemochord , clavicylinder, triphone, xylosistron, uranion, harmonichord , panmelodion, tenor viola, war bass.

Description of the friction musical instruments in 1829

The Handbook of Natural Science by Georg Wilhelm Munke from 1829 describes the friction musical instruments. He rates the Terpodion as the only one

“That deserves to be reproduced. The actual sounding bodies or structures are mostly metal rods, on which the rotating roller usually rubs directly, causing them to vibrate transversely. This sound produced by transverse vibrations is similar to that of the tuning fork. The vibrating bodies can also be held in two vibration nodes, then a rod placed vertically on it is attached in the middle, the end of which is covered with felt or leather and is pressed against the rotating roller by touching it. Longitudinal vibrations are converted into transverse vibrations on the rod. Dietz chose round steel bars in his Panmelodion. […] Kaufmann's Harmonichord and Maslosky's Coelison are wing-shaped, very similar in appearance to a fort piano, and strings are also made to vibrate. Kaufmann's Harmonichord has a piano and a rotating cylinder and otherwise all the features of the Terpodion. The Coelison has no keyboard and the strings are made to sound via whalebone sticks. The whalebone sticks are rubbed with leather gloves made sticky with rosin powder, which in turn stimulate the strings to vibrate through resonance. Buschmann's Terpodion is the most beautiful of all, in terms of tone, volume and ease of address.

Chladni called this instrument the clavicylinder, and the cylinder that produced the sound, the brush cylinder, finally showed its structure, which had been kept secret for so long. The actual sounding bodies are metal rods on which either the doctor roller rubs directly and causes them to vibrate transversely, so that they emit a sound similar to the tuning fork, generated by transversal vibrations, or which are tied in two vibration nodes in the middle and perpendicular to theirs Length axis carry attached rod, the other bent end is covered with some felt, and is pressed by the key against the doctor roller, so that the same set in longitudinal vibrations, transversal generated in the rod. Instead of the felt one can also take leather and instead of wetting the coating roller, sprinkle this leather with a little rosin, in which case the roller must be made of wood or, better, of brass. Although the original instrument was kept secret, various artists who had made individual parts for it spied the secret and imitated it. This was done by Dietz, who chose round steel bars for his Panmelodion, by an Italian artist, whose clavicylinder made of brass bars was shown by the violinist Creuzer, by Buschmann in the Terpodien, by Kaufmann in the Harmonichord and by Maslosky in the Coelison. The latter two instruments consist of wing-shaped, strings-covered bodies, very similar to the forte piano, only directed upwards, and in the case of the harmonichord the strings are made to sound by the coater, in the case of the coelison they are made by whalebone sticks, which are sticky with leather and rosin powder. Rubbed gloves to create the vibrations of the strings; The Terpodion is the most beautiful of all, deserves to be known and multiplied in its construction, because it combines great strength, flexibility, easy response of the notes and smallness with the comfort of the tone, but at the same time, like all these instruments, its mood is unchangeable retains. "

Contemporary reports in newspapers

(All of the following quotes have been adapted to today's German; the original text can be viewed from the specified source.)

The general musical newspaper. No. 30 of April 25, 1810 reports on pages 469 and 470 the following: “On the occasion of this, a few thoughts about the Clavicylinder . It is well known that round or square panes of glass emit a sound when they are attached to one point on the edge […] when they are rubbed by another smooth glass body on the high, smoothly ground edge. - Both the attachment point and the point of contact when rubbing must be carefully sought. - The tone size of the glass panes must also be examined. - If such panes of glass with a certain tone size can be attached to the rear end of a keyboard, then a common cylinder, which rubs the panes of glass as soon as they hit the cylinder through the pressure of the keys, elicits the tone peculiar to each pane of glass. It goes without saying that each key at the front end needs as much counterweight as the glass at the rear end.

A newly invented keyboard instrument is called a uranion . This instrument is very similar to the Melodion in terms of shape and style. It is 4 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 1 foot high; it therefore has a compact and pleasing appearance. The range of tones is 5½ octaves; namely from the Contra-F to the four-crossed c. The cylinder in it is covered with cloth and is set in motion by means of a kick and a wheel. Since the mechanism of this instrument is extremely simple, and the main thing in bringing the sound to the heart is friction with wood, and not with metal or glass, it is not only lighter than an ordinary fortepiano, but it can certainly also turn around as a result can be purchased at a reasonable price. When I heard the Melodion, played by Petzold, I found that the bass notes were comparatively weak […], which is by no means a fault with the Uranion; also with this the high middle and low tones are not so diverse as with the former, and allow all gradations from the softest piano to a considerable forte. His tone is truly heavenly and has a strong effect on the heart. The inventor's name is Buschmann and lives in the mountain town of Friedrichroda, 1½ mile from Gotha . He is a trimmers by profession and tried it several years ago, because he found pleasure in such pursuits, repairing old pianos and other keyboard instruments; got to know her inner structure more and more closely; soon built a few such instruments himself, and finally set about making this excellent instrument, which he called Uranion on the advice of. He has now embarked on a journey with it and was first heard in Schmalkalden , where several connoisseurs, and especially Pierling, applauded the instruments. "

In the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung by JL Dussek No. 16 of April 15, 1824, p. 257 one finds the following message: “From March 1st, the instrument maker JD Buschmann has a ten-year patent for the entire monarchy on the exclusive right to manufacture and use of the musical keyboard instrument he invented Terpodion , the sound of which is known to be produced by means of friction through a peculiar shape of the wooden pieces and in the height through pieces of clay, some of which are made of metal. "

In the Berliner Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung , Volume 1, by Adolf Bernhard Marx from December 1, 1824, page 441, it is reported: “On November 6, Mr. Joh. David Buschmann gave an extra concert and sat down on the keyboard instrument he had invented Hear Terpodion. The tone is produced by the friction of arranged wooden sticks and is similar to that of the glass harmonica, but fuller and softer. As soon as this instrument is played with four hands, it requires a precise recording; This was not always the case, however, as the Primarius painted the keys more heavily than the Secundarius and thereby suppressed the bass, which anyway sounds weaker against the treble. "

In the Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung of Leipzig, May 1st, 1833 one reads: “Finally [...] and Messrs. Buschmann, father and son, from Berlin (?) Gave a musical evening entertainment. [...] The latter delighted with their terpodion, an instrument which, in our opinion, would be ideal for orchestras with weak or poorly cast, where it could replace the clarinets, flutes and bassoons, some of whose tones it far surpasses in terms of sound. A chorale played on this instrument is true angel music. "

In the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik , Allgemeiner Deutscher Musikverein, May 15, 1834 one reads: “Prague. Messrs. Buschmann gave two concerts on the Terpodion. "

The Wiener Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung of August 1843 reads “(Friedrich Buschmann) in Hamburg, whose father is known to have invented the Terpodion, has currently completed a physharmonica according to a new, peculiar construction, making this instrument, which is otherwise difficult to handle, usable for all concert music will perform very extraordinary things to accompany the chants. "

A favorable verdict on the Terpodion: “The Würzburg Franz Leppich invented his so-called Panmelodicon in Vienna in 1810, where instead of the straight bars curved at right angles were used, the thinnest end of which stuck in a soundboard; with the other end, by means of the touch, was pressed against the roller, which was made to rotate by a kick. In the same year JD Buschmann, at that time in Friedrichsrode near Gotha, used wooden bars instead of the metal bars and called his instrument Uranion, from which the present Terpodion arose. Because of the uncommon richness and splendor of its deep tones and the easy response of all tones, this instrument surpasses all previously known instruments of the same kind, which I have heard almost all myself; the depth resembles a beautifully intonated sixteen-foot Bourdon bass of the organ, and at the same time mimics the small one Octave duly reworks the horn in the most deceptive way possible. The height keeps the middle between oboe and clarinet and is similar to the English horn. The concert givers began on the Terpodion with a chorale and divertissement by Rink; Set for four hands - and for chorales, for the so-called polyphonically bound writing style, this instrument is actually intended. The ease with which its tones respond can withstand even the fastest, most brilliant treatment, but the tone itself loses a lot of gloss and character as a result. Just as little does it tolerate, like the harmonica, the accompaniment of other instruments, and as Mr. Pellegrini the well-known 'O Iris and Osiris give' ic. sang from Mozart's Magic Flute with the accompaniment of the Terpodion, the instrument had to struggle significantly with the powerful voice of this excellent singer. "

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Miscellaneous Intelligence: 6. New Musical Instrument . In: The Quarterly journal. Volume 11, 1821, Royal Institution of Great Britain, Text Archive - Internet Archive .
  2. ^ The London journal of arts and sciences. Volume 6, January 14, 1822, pp. 235-236, with drawing.
  3. ^ Georg Kinsky: Museum of Music History by Wilhelm Heyer in Cologne . Breitkopf & Härtel, Leipzig 1912, p. 413.
  4. ↑ Loescham, David; Allwright, Jak: Loescham's Terpodion. In: Polytechnisches Journal . 13, 1824, pp. 194-195.
  5. ^ Music . In: The Literary gazette and journal of the belles lettres, arts, sciences & c. No. 1252, January 16, 1841, p. 350, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  6. ^ General musical newspaper. Volume 8, pp. 715-718 ( online ).
  7. ^ General musical newspaper. Volume 8, pp. 526, 527. ( online ).
  8. ^ Almanac of the progress, newest inventions and discoveries in science, arts, manufactures and handicrafts. Volume 8, 1804, p. 390 ( online ).
  9. ^ A b Biographical notes by Franz Leppig Mechanikus . In: New Franconian-Würzburg Chronicle , Volume 5, Bonitas, 1811, pp. 17-21 ( Wikisource ).
  10. ^ Almanac of the progress, newest inventions and discoveries in science, arts, manufactures and handicrafts. Volume 8, 1804, p. 391 ( online ).
  11. ↑ "News. Vienna. Beschhas. Mr. Franz Leppich, born in Büdesheim in the Grand Duchy of Würzburg, has built a musical keyboard instrument, called a pan melodicon, after several years of attempts, and lets it be heard three times a week in his apartment on the Graben for a fee. This instrument, which consists of a metal, conical roller turned by a flywheel, with which metal rods bent at a right angle are brought into contact with the soft handling of the keyboard, leaves all the same up to the delicacy, loveliness and purity of the tones now known instruments back. You can grow the clay to a well-known strength and let it decrease at will. Without changing anything in the instrument, it is up to the player to imitate the organ, the harmonica, the clarinet, the bassoon, and the French horn. One can just as clearly perform a fiery Allegro, starting with the most melting Adagio. In the announcement, Mr. L. show as particularly strange that with this instrument the tones can be sensually felt and calculated mathematically, and that even tallow sticks, treated in the same way, must give tones. Although this instrument is still capable of many improvements, it is definitely one of the most excellent of all that we know. It has five full octaves, from С the large octave, to four times crossed C. The exterior (from mahogany) is tasteful and simple. - Ref. This believes it is justified to assume that this pan melodicon is one and the same with Mr. Rieffelsen's Melódica *) *) Siebe mus. Time, eleventh year, No. 4o .. That Mr. L. omitted the name of the actual inventor on his notice so completely with silence, is probably not quite right; although he does not pretend to be the inventor either. What remains for the inventor for his many toil and costly experiments if he does not even get the honor of the invention? - The 19th was Mr. Franz; Leppich with Mr. C. Creutzer in kl. Red.Saal Concert, with a fantasy and an idyll on this instrument: the emergence of harmony, performed by Mr. Unger, set to music by Creutzer, with an obligatory pan melodicon - sung by Dem. Kilitschky and Mr. Grell - performed by Creutzer . However, the sender of this cannot say anything definite about the effect that this instrument produced in the aforementioned hall, since he was prevented from attending this concert. - “
    General musical newspaper. Volume 12, 1809, columns 487-489, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  12. ↑ "On yesterday [29. March 1810], which was also a festival for Austria, we also had other pleasures. An excellent mechanic, Mr. Leppich, has built a musical work here that he calls the P anmelodicon, and it is covered with brass rods that vibrate through keys and a cylinder that is set in motion, giving wonderful tones. It is played just like the fortepiano, and in its wonderful tone it combines the [glass] harmonica with the vox humana in the organ, without the cutting edge, and for those with weak nerves to attack the former. Yesterday now Mr. Leppich in connection with the skilful sound artist Creutzer with his pan melodicon, which the latter played, a concert in the kk Redoutensaale. The Leppich instrument received general applause. Accompanied by the same there was an idell-like song. the emergence of harmony, also a hymn from Napoleon's marriage, composed and sung by Karl Unger. Some places made a good impression. Leppich is just about to travel with the Panmelodicon via Munich via Stuttgart to Paris. Since he possessed and made many inventions in other parts of mechanics too, he deserves a benevolent reception, encouragement and strong support everywhere. ”In: Morgenblatt für educated readers. Volume 4, JG Cotta'sche buchhandlung., 1810, p. 356 ( online ).
  13. ↑ New Franconian-Würzburg Chronicle. Volume 5, Bonitas, 1810, p. 567 ( online )
  14. ^ General musical newspaper. Volume 20, 1818, column 56, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  15. ^ Correspondence messages . In: Morgenblatt for educated readers. Volume 4, JG Cotta'sche Buchhandlung, 1810, p. 620, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  16. ↑ "In Vienna now holds on (March 1810) a native of Mündelheim Grand Duchy of Würzburg artist name Franz Leppich. With the advisory board of a mathematician, Hn. Riffelsen, invented a new musical keyboard instrument after many attempts under the name: Panmelodicon. According to his experience, everything in nature sounds that can be made to vibrate. In the instrument he shows, there are brass rods of proportioned thickness, curved in the shape of a hook with the hook against a soundboard, which, being brought closer to a revolving cylinder through the keys, begin to vibrate and sound, but also indefinitely are. Sticks from Unschlitt also make a sound, just like wooden ones. s. w. From metal, lead rods seem to be the finest in tone. The instrument is always strange, although it does not expand the scope of the music much, and it does not surpass a good organ. In a public concert, Mr. Leppich proved that the instrument can be used with other instruments and goes well with the human voice. Its tones are mild and gentle, not cutting and irritating to the weak nerves, like those of the [glass] harmonica. ”
    Mixed news . In: Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung , Joh. Gottfr. Müllerischen Buchh., 1810, columns 403–404, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  17. ↑ Notes . In: General musical newspaper. 1811, columns 151–153, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  18. ^ Panmelodicon of Mr. Leppich from Vienna . In: General musical newspaper. 1811, pp. 142-145 ( Wikisource ).
  19. ↑ "Leipzig. The organ and instrument maker left the 1st [1808] of August. Mr. U the, an instrument invented by him, which the xylosistron - after having previously shown it privately to several connoisseurs of music and instrument making in Dresden and Leipzig and received their approval - can also be heard in public. One can hardly report it more precisely and faithfully than he himself did in the advertisement. “The xylosistron, he said, aims to combine the graceful tone of the [glass] harmonica with far more power and depth. It is not yet more perfect than was necessary to prove the feasibility of the idea. ”And this seems to us really to be proved by him by the deed. The tone does not have the piano nor the swelling of the [glass] harmonica tone, or at least to a slight extent, but it is nevertheless very pleasant, delicate and lovely, and yet extremely strong, full, thick, without - especially in the middle octaves and the excellent deeper ones, becoming in the least bit cutting; it is also quite easy to handle in the depths, yes there is even more than in the heights. If Mr. U. succeeds, as he certainly believes and is theoretically pretty much in the right place - the tone in the upper part is the same as that in the middle and the lower part; To make it, according to the needs of the player, short (without reverberation) and with endurance swelling enough to also give the instrument a clav without it from another side - as is the case with all key harmonics that have become known to us Fall is - lose, so his invention, which already deserves all attention, has to promise itself many thanks from all friends of the art of music; so it really is a considerable enrichment of the means of speaking beautifully through sounds. The internal mechanism of the instrument is kept by Mr. In some cases it would be cheaper to do so, and we too abstain from saying more about it than that it seems to us a child of Chladni's Euphon, raised by a peculiar method and already considerably overgrown with its father. Incidentally, it has almost the entire size of a large pianoforte, and, given the simplicity of its mechanism, with all the improvements desired and promised above, it could still be supplied at moderate prices. We very much wish that Mr. U, who is still a young, skilful, modest and very hardworking man, for the time being only able to fully develop his invention; then he will certainly not lack general approval and reward. Mr. U. also supplies pianoforte in piano and grand piano format, which are popular; and delivers them for cheap prices. However, we do not know his work and therefore cannot say anything more about it. A few years ago he worked as an organ builder in Berlin under Abbot Vogler. He lives in Hohlstädt near Sangerhausen. ” Allgemeine musical newspaper. Volume 10, Rieter-Biedermann, 1807, p. 735 ( online ).
  20. ↑ “The invention of new instruments, at least thinking about them, is now the order of the day: a phenomenon which, given the daily increasing luxury of instrumentation and the increasingly tense demands of the composers, could not fail to exist. But none of the 30 instruments that have been invented in recent times, from the harmonica and the euphon, callipson, melodion, anemochord, clavicylinder, triphon, xylosistron, uranion, to the harmonichord and panmelodion, from the so-called tenor viola, which is suggested as indispensable (see My treatise on it, or rather against it, in the 5th year of the period from 1805) to the very latest invented war bass, no one has yet succeeded in acquiring permanent citizenship in our orchestras, a fixed line in the scores of our composers . ”
    General musical newspaper. 1812, Volume 14, Column 759, Textarchiv - Internet Archive
    “Chladni called this instrument the clavicylinder, and the roller that produced the sound, the doctor roller, finally showed its construction, which had been kept secret for so long. The actual sounding bodies are metal rods on which either the doctor roller rubs directly and causes them to vibrate transversely, so that they produce a tone similar to that of the tuning fork through transverse vibrations, or which are tied in two vibration nodes in the middle to a perpendicular carry their length axis attached rod, the other bent end is covered with some felt, and is pressed by the key against the doctor roller, so that the same set in longitudinal vibrations, generated transversal in the rod. Instead of the felt one can also take leather and instead of wetting the coating roller, sprinkle this leather with a little rosin, in which case the roller must be made of wood or, better, of brass. Although the original instrument was kept secret, various artists who had made individual parts for it spied the secret and imitated it. This was done by Dietz, who chose round steel bars for his Panmelodion, by an Italian artist, whose clavicylinder made of brass bars was shown by the violinist Creuzer, by Buschmann in the Terpodion, by Kaufmann in the Harmonichord and by Maslosky in the Coelison. The latter two instruments consist of wing-shaped, strings-covered bodies, very similar to the forte piano, only pointing upwards, and in the case of the harmonichord the strings are made to sound by the doctor roller, in the coelison, however, by whalebone sticks, which are made with leather gloves sticky with rosin powder rubbed, which create vibrations of the strings; The Terpodion is the most beautiful of all, deserves to be known and multiplied in its construction, because it combines great strength, flexibility, easy response of the notes and smallness with the comfort of the tone, but at the same time, like all these instruments, its mood is unchangeable retains 2). “
    Georg Wilhelm Munke: Handbuch der Naturlehre . Volume 1, Heidelberg, CF Winter, 1829, pp. 288-289, Textarchiv - Internet Archive
  21. ↑ Apollonikon. In: Polytechnisches Journal . 28, 1828, Miszelle 15, p. 167.
  22. ^ Georg Wilhelm Munke: Handbuch der Naturlehre . Volume 1, Heidelberg, CF Winter, 1829, pp. 288-289, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  23. ↑ Allgemeine Musikische Zeitung , No. 30, April 25, 1810, column. 469-470, Text Archive - Internet Archive .
  24. ↑ Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung. by JL Dussek No. 16, April 15, 1824, p. 257. ( online ).
  25. ^ Berlin general musical newspaper. Volume 1 By Adolf Bernhard Marx Dec. 1, 1824, p. 441 ( online ).
  26. ^ General musical newspaper. No. 18, May 1, 1833, column 297, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  27. ^ New magazine for music. Volume 1 From the Beethoven Foundation, General German Music Association No. 13, May 15, 1834, p. 52 ( online ).
  28. ↑ Notes . In: Wiener Allgemeine Musik-Zeitung by August Schmidt. Volume 3, 1843, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .
  29. ^ The bazaar for Munich and Bavaria: a breakfast sheet. for everyone u. every woman. Kranzfelder, 1833, p. 1070, Textarchiv - Internet Archive .