MUSICAL instruments. Notwithstand ing the great number of instruments in use, and the vast alterations that have within these few years taken place in their construction, yet we cannot boast of much originality ; nor can we assert, t It at so much improvement has been made in this branch of mechanism, as the theo ry and practice of music have received since the time of Guido, or even of the justly famous John de Motio. A retro spect of ancient dates will convince the inquisitive reader, that what we now term inventions are, with very few exceptions, plagiarisms from the common practices of musicians, &c. at a very remote period ; some may be correctly traced to several centuries before the Christian era. In de ng the instruments in modern use,we shall deduce their respective genealogies, and shew that man:, which, by the best accounts we can obtain, were in high re putation among the Greeks and other na tions, have, like the secret of rendering glass malleable, been altogether commit ted to oblivion. Of a few we have, in deed, an imperfect idea, furnished to us by some antique medals, bearing figures of musical instruments now unknown ; but of which only the form can be thus understood ; their intonations remain concealed.
We shall endeavour to detail the vari ous instruments, of which we are about to furnish a concise description, in such a manner as may at once establish a regu lar system, and enable the reader to pro ceed with his investigation in a familiar and satisfactory manner.. The first step towards this important point is, to form them into classes, as follow : Fleet Clare. Instruments of percussion, whether pulsatile, as a drum, or as a piano forte ; or plectrated, as a guitar, or a harp, or a harpsichord, &c.
Second Class. Instruments of inflation; such as the organ, trumpet, flute, &c.
Third Class. Instruments of collision; such as the violin, and the celestina.
Our plan will he, in the first instance, to describe those instruments which are now in general use, together with their modern varieties, and to point out the an cient instruments from which they ap pear to have originated. Thus, consider ing it to be the principal and most popu lar of the first clam, viz. of percussion, we shall begin with.
The Grand Piano-Forte. This admirable instrument resembles the harpsichord in form, but its action and tone are far su perior. Its wires run longitudinally along the belly, or sounding board, supported at about two-thirds of an inch distance by small low curved battens of beech, or other wood, on which are short pins, firmly driven into the battens, for the purpose of keeping the wires perfectly parallel. These battens, which are call
ed bridges, determine the lengths-of the several wires; though the latter pass be yond them for some distance ; being loop ed on at their further cads to stout pins, driven firmly into a solid part of the frame-work, and coming over that bridge which is next to the keys, with which it is parallel, and winding on a set of iron pegs; which, being driven deep into a so lid block of hard wood, are turned either right or left by means of a small instru ment called a tuning-hammer, and are thus tightened or relaxed at pleasure. The shortest wires are the thinnest, these lie to the right, and give the upper notes. The largest wires are to the left, and give the lowest notes : those between them are longer or shorter, according to their situation, theirseveral lengths increasing as they approach towards the left side of the instrument ; forming, by means of the bridges, which lay obliquely, a triangular figure. Each note has three wires, lying within, rather less than half an inch in breadth ; these are equidistant, and pro ceed to three rows of tuning pins, so that the tuner cannot mistake as to which of the three wires he acts upon. The wires are chiefly imported from Germany ; our artisans not having as yet acquired the mode of giving them a due degree of temper. Those of the higher notes are of brass, and commonly begin with No 8, 9, or 10, gradually increasing in thick ness until they reach the extent of about four octaves, when they give place to copper wires, which produce a deeper sound. A few years back, piano-fortes rarely exceeded four octaves and a half, or at most five; but. latterly, they have been ye; ? generally manut tctured with what are termed additional keys ; which extend the compass upwards from alt, to double C in ak. Mr. Kirkman, of Broad-street, Soho, further extended the compass downwards, from double F to double C, giving a greater and a much richer scope of bass. But such additions, necessarily increasing both the siaeof the instrument and its powers, disqualifies those so constructed from adaptation to small rooms. To remedy this, grand pia. no-fortes have been made in • vertical form, so es to resemble book-eases, Sus. they answer well, but in general over power a weak voice: their convenience is obvious.