For convenience, sundry notes upon improvements in instruments may here be inserted:—
François Tourte (d. 1835), one of a family of bow-makers at Paris, about 1775-80, perhaps with the aid of the violinist Viotti, perfected a novel type of violin-bow which has not since been improved. The material is straight-grained Brazilian lancewood or snakewood, delicately tapered and slightly bent inward (by heating), and it is fitted with about 100 white horse-hairs, the tension of which is controlled by a screw at the 'nut.' This invention imparted a new value to all violin-playing.
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Fig. 96.—Bows for Viols. The first five belong with savage or semi-civilized instruments, the sixth and seventh with double-basses, the eighth with the 'cello, the ninth with the violin.
Anton Bachmann (d. 1800), a Berlin instrument-maker, in 1778 introduced the machine-head for 'cellos and basses, and also invented a keyboard attachment for guitars.
Charles Clagget (d. 1820), an Irish violinist, from 1776 in London, devised a number of curious improvements or novelties (book, 1793), which, however, met with no acceptance.
Georg Joseph Vogler (d. 1814), the eccentric organist and teacher, in 1789 exhibited at Amsterdam his 'orchestrion,' a portable organ that included many new ideas, such as the imitation of orchestral effects, largely by the use of free-reed pipes. Similar instruments were made in 1796-8 at Prague by Thomas Anton Kunz, and in 1800 at Vienna by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel (d. 1838)—the last better known for his 'metronome' (1816, Paris). Vogler's advocacy of free reeds is supposed to have arisen from his seeing a Chinese 'cheng' (see sec. 11), or hearing of its principle, at St. Petersburg in 1788—the idea having been used there by Kirschnigk and Rackwitz. Since his day free-reed pipes have been sparingly used in pipe-organs. The principle had notable application in the 'orgue expressif' or 'harmonium,' developed later in France.
