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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