When we arrive at the second octave, a change must be made in the embouchilre, by fixing a peg under the lever which causes the lips to advance over the orifice. Another peg must be fixed under the lever which con tracts their openings; and a third under the lever, which opens the reservoir, communicating with the bellows loaded by a weight of two pounds. By this means the air will be forced into the flute with a double velocity, which is requisite in order to produce a vibration of dou ble the force, or to produce the tones of the second oc tave with a fingering nearly the same as that of the first. In proportion as we ascend in this octave, it is necessary, not only to communicate the proper motions to the fin gers, but continually to confract the lips more and more, in order that the air may issue with the requisite velo city. The tones of the third octave are produced by adding a peg to the lever which opens the reservoir connected with the third series of bellows charged with the weight of four pounds. By this means the velocity of the air is again doubled, and the proper vibration ex cited in the flute ; at the same time, the pegs which act upon the lips are somewhat more elevated, in order that the lips may be advanced farther over the orifice of the flute, and that their own opening may become extremely small.
In all the three octaves, tones occur which arc more difficult to sound than the rest. These are managed by placing the lips over a greater or less portion of the ori fice of the flute, and by supplying a greater or less body of wind. On the same principle, a swell or diminuendo is produced during the continuance of the same note, by increasing or diminishing the supply of wind, and pro perly varying the situation of the lips. With respect to the expedients by which the proportional lengths of the notes, as well as of the whole airs are regulated, it is unnecessary to take any notice of them here, as they are entirely similar to those employed in the construc tion of a common barrel organ.
Such were the ingenious contrivances by which M. Vaucanson produced all the motions requisite for an ex pert player on the flute ; and which he executed in such a manner as to produce music equal in beauty to that derived from the exertions of a well practised living performer. The same gentleman afterwards exercised his ingenuity in the construction of another musical androides, exhibited to the academy in 1741, and which was not less admired than his flute player.
This was a mechanical performer on the pipe and tabor, fixed, like the flute player, on a pedestal, habitcd like a dancing shepherd, and capable of playing about twenty airs, consisting of minuets, rigadoons, and coun try dances.
It might at first view appear, that the execution of this machine required much less ingenuity than that of the flute player ; but without exalting the one at the ex pense of the other, it ought to be observed, that the in strument here in question is one of the most imperfect and untoward in the world ; that it has only three holes, and that the variety of its tones depends chiefly on vary ing the force of the wind, and on covering the orifices more or less perfectly. These variations in the force of
the wind must be given with a rapidity which the ear finds it difficult to follow ; and the articulation of the tongue must be communicated to the quickest notes, otherwise the instrument is by no means agreeable. In all these respects, says the reporter, the androides of M. Vaucanson greatly excelled the most esteemed per formers on the pipe and tabor. None of these are able to give the requisite articulations to a rapid succession of notes through a whole measure, and generally slur one half of them ; but the machine played complete airs, with articulations of the tongue at every note.
In constructing his pipe and tabor player, M. Vatican son made some discoveries which he little thought of; and among the rest, that this kind of flute is one of the most fatiguing instruments to the lungs of the performer.
In order to produce the highest note of the instrument, the muscles (AMC LhOSI. of a living performer not t make an effort equal to 56 pounds, for such was the weignt with which he Lonna rt necessary to load the pair of bel loWs which supplied the air for this tone in his machine. A single ounce sufficed for the lowest tone ; whence we may deduce the variety of intermediate proportions ne cessary to be given to the air itr going over the scale of the flageolet. So imperfect is the instrument too, that very different proportions of wind become necessary, even for producing the same note, according as it comes in succession to one or another part of the scale. The author himself was astonished to find this instrument demanding so great a number of combinations ; and more than once he was ready to renounce it in despair; but patience, and the resources of his ingenuity, enabled him to surmount every difficulty.
Nor was this all : The flageolet occupies but one hand, the machine holds in the other a stick, with which he heats his tabor or tambourine, in such a manner as to make a pleasing accompaniment to the airs which he plays. Sometimes his strokes are simple, sometimes they are double, sometimes they produce a continued rolling, a kind of motion by no means easy to accom plish by means of machinery. In short the mechanical pipe and tabor player, though it may be less generally admired than the mechanical performer on the flute, is an effort of ingenuity of the very first order, and worthy of the extraordinary reputation which M. Vaucanson had acquired in this field of exertion.