Dulcitone
Encyclopedia
A dulcitone is a keyboard instrument
in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard.
The instrument was designed by Thomas Machell of Glasgow
and manufactured by the firm of Thomas Machell & Sons during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
A significant feature of the dulcitone was its portability, a product of its lightweight and compact construction and the fact that the tuning forks (unlike, for instance, the strings of a piano
) were not prone to going out of tune. However, the volume produced is extremely limited, and the dulcitone's part is frequently substituted by a glockenspiel
.
One piece scored for the dulcitone is Vincent d'Indy
's Song of the Bells (1888)
Surviving examples exist as far afield as New Zealand
, where one is preserved in the Whittaker's Musical Museum.
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard.
The instrument was designed by Thomas Machell of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and manufactured by the firm of Thomas Machell & Sons during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
A significant feature of the dulcitone was its portability, a product of its lightweight and compact construction and the fact that the tuning forks (unlike, for instance, the strings of a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
) were not prone to going out of tune. However, the volume produced is extremely limited, and the dulcitone's part is frequently substituted by a glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
.
One piece scored for the dulcitone is Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy
Vincent d'Indy was a French composer and teacher.-Life:Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was born in Paris into an aristocratic family of royalist and Catholic persuasion. He had piano lessons from an early age from his paternal grandmother, who passed him on to Antoine François Marmontel and...
's Song of the Bells (1888)
Surviving examples exist as far afield as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where one is preserved in the Whittaker's Musical Museum.