拍子機的歷史

Early Attempts
In 1581, Galileo Galilei discovered the isochronism of pendulums, that is, he discovered that pendulums (of any given length) vibrated in the same time, whether the amplitude was large or small.
About a century passed before pendulums were successfully applied to clocks by Christian Huyghens (circa 1659) and George Graham (circa 1715). The problem solved by them was to develop an escapement, the mechanism for delivering impulses to the pendulum, which will keep it in motion and yet not interfere with its motion. This invention was the key to success for it was promptly used by those laboring in the metronome field.
In 1696, Etieune Loulie made the first recorded attempt to apply the pendulum to a metronome. His "machine" was merely an adjustable pendulum with calibrations but without an escapement to keep it in motion. He was followed by a line of inventors, including Sauveur, 1711; Enbrayg, 1732; Gabary, 1771; Harrison, 1775; Davaux, 1784; Pelletier, Weiske, 1790; Weber, 1813; Stockel, Zmeskall, Crotch, Smart, 1821. Most of these attempts were unsuccessful owing to the great length of pendulum required to beat some of the low tempos used in music (say 40 to 60 per minute).
In 1812, Dietrik Nikolaus Winkel (b.1780 Amsterdam d. 1826) found that a double weighted pendulum (a weight on each side of the pivot) would beat low tempos, even when made of short length. Johann Nepenuk Maelzel, through some questionable practice, appropriated Winkel's idea and in 1816 started manufacturing "Maelzel's" Metronome. It has been in highly successful use to this day. It is manufactured by Swiss, German, French and American manufacturers who vie with each other for the limited business available.
More Recent Attempts
In 1894, Hanson produced a metronome consisting of a baton which could be adjusted to beat 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 or 6/8 time by compound motions similar to those of a conductor.
In 1909, White and Hunter produced a pocket metronome having a hand which turned complete revolutions, one revolution to a beat. Its speed was adjustable between 40 and 208 revolutions per minute.
In 1930, a miniature rocking chair, having a vertical baton attached, which is set in motion by hand on any level surface, was placed on the market. A weight on the wand adjusted the tempo. The "beat" was silent.
With the advent of electricity, many types of electrically driven metronomes were developed, some having lights which flashed to mark the beats and also the beginning of the measure, like Morrison, 1936, some merely having a waving wand, like A. M. English, 1937. Some of them were obviously devised by mechanics having little or no knowledge of music or of the manner in which musicians use metronomes.
Another group of inventions covered metronomes designed to beat the rhythm of a few bars of music exactly as written, requiring the setting of some stops as in Fascinato, 1933, the manipulation of some indicators as in Doerfer, 1899, or the punching of some paper dials as in Miessner, 1934.
About 1900, a Swiss pocket watch metronome was produced, operating exactly like a balance-wheel watch with the modification that it had a geared balance-wheel which could make several revolutions and an adjustable "hair-spring" permitting the 40 to 208 scale adjustment.
As far as is known, the only survivors of all these attempts to produce an accurate, practical and dependable metronome that is acceptable to critical musicians, are the Maelzel types and a few pocket watch types, like the Cadenzia.

拍 子 機 (metronome)


拍子機是一種計算樂曲速度的機器.

它是於1816年由奧地利人馬素(Maelzel)所製造.

拍子機上的號數以40為起點,由上而下至208止(並非每一個拍子機都有相同的度數).

拍子機下方有擺,擺桿之上附有可以自由升降的鐵片.鐵片位置越高,擺桿移動的速度越慢;位置越低,則移動私的速度越快.