Harmonic Mechanism translation - Draft

[Jon Page]

The first reference I saw to this was back in February in rmmp.
Last month I asked if someone could translate the French
and someone on the MMD list picked up on it. Translation below.
Text:		http://pauillac.inria.fr/~ddr/piano/
sketch:	http://pauillac.inria.fr/~ddr/piano/mecanisme.html

It is the invention of:
	Denis de La Rochefordière
	18, avenue Balzac
	F92410 Ville d'Avray
	France

Someone mentioned that Renner will build this. (?)


>From: brite@ksu.edu
>Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 11:11:50 -0500 (CDT)
>X-Sender: brite@cbs.ksu.ksu.edu
>To: jpage@capecod.net, kijlstra@worldaccess.nl
>cc: Robbie Rhodes <rrhodes@foxtail.com>
>Subject: Harmonic Mechanism translation - Draft
>"Descriptive Technique of the Harmonic Mechanism"

>Damper release:
>
>In a traditional piano, the loud pedal controls a hinged bar/rod which
>raises all the dampers simultaneously.
>
>   [ The numbers in the following passage apparently refer to the  ]
>   [ sketch which appears at the above URL]
>
>In the piano with the harmonic mechanism, there are two hinged rods: the
>loud rod (112) which raises the damper rack (104) collectively, and the
>harmonic rod (111) which acts on the dampers as an intermediary on the
>release rack.  Each release (14) is mobilized around an axis (30) which
>offers up an end (in gear/engaged) with the harmonic rod and an end in
>gear with the touch.
>
>*  When the harmonic rod is put in action, all the dampers are raised, 
>releasing the resonance of the wires.
>
>*  When the (touch/play) is brisk, it acts then in making the release
>pivot, which allows the corresponding damper to fall back on the wire with
>the relaxation of the touch, thus interrupting the note played.  The
>resonances of the notes, in sympathy with the 200 wires, are freed from
>the remaining dampers, enriching the quality of tone of the piano.
>
>Un embiellage:  [ This word was not in my dictionary.  However, the word
>"bielle" means push-rod or crank-arm  ]
>
>The two rods of the mechanism are activated by a progressive mechanism, or
>push rods (5 + 19 + 20), which coordinate the displacement of the rods
>along a determined movement.  Pressing the pedal more or less gives the
>reverberation by sympathy.  When the pedal is completely pressed, it
>maintains the notes in resonance although there is action on the keyboard,
>like the traditional loud pedal.
>
>The lyre has the three traditional pedals, with a fourth pedal isolated to
>the right which controls the harmonic mechanism.
>
>(Traduisee' par Joyce Brite)
>
>
>Joyce Brite
>brite@ksu.edu       http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~brite/
>
>

Thank you, Joyce for the translation.



Jon Page
Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. (jpage@capecod.net)
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