A metronome is a device that produces audible clicks or other signals at a steady, user-set tempo, usually measured in beats per minute, used by musicians, dancers and athletes to keep steady time. The Andalusian polymath Abbas ibn Firnas is credited with an early version of the device around the 9th century, and the German inventor Johann Maelzel patented the modern mechanical wind-up metronome, built around a swinging weighted pendulum, on December 5, 1815, describing it as an instrument for the improvement of musical performance. Maelzel's design became the standard reference for tempo in written music, with composers marking a piece's intended speed in metronome beats per minute, and electronic and software metronomes have since supplemented the original mechanical clockwork form.
Facts
Patent or First-Use Date SignificanceMusicians often practise with metronomes to develop and maintain a sense of timing and tempo. 1 FAQs
Did Johann Maelzel really invent the metronome he patented?
Maelzel patented the clockwork metronome in 1815, but the idea seems to have come from the Dutch inventor D. N. Winkel.
Probably not entirely. Maelzel is the name attached to the metronome because he patented the clockwork model in 1815, but Encyclopedia.com says that the idea of that clockwork model seems to have been appropriated from the Dutch inventor D. N. Winkel. Maelzel's patent and his marketing made the device standard, while the underlying mechanism appears to trace back to Winkel.
Connections
Associated With
Source Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (Wikipedia)
In Field
Source Metronome (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Sources
1. Metronome (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationHistory and types section, patent sentence
In 1815, the German inventor Johann Maelzel patented a mechanical, wind-up metronome as a tool for musicians
Quoted patent specification
Specification of the Patent granted to John Maelzel, which he denominates a Metronome or Musical Time-keeper. Dated December 5, 1815.
Pacing tool section
Musicians often practise with metronomes to develop and maintain a sense of timing and tempo.
History
In 1815, the German inventor Johann Maelzel patented a mechanical, wind-up metronome
In Field: Mechanical Engineering, Introduction
In 1815, the German inventor Johann Maelzel patented a mechanical, wind-up metronome as a tool for musicians, under the title "Instrument/Machine for the Improvement of all Musical Performance, called Metronome".
View the Source Johann Nepomuk Maelzel (Wikipedia)
Associated With: Johann Maelzel, Lead sentence [associated-with]Quote, Associated With: Johann Maelzel, Lead sentence [associated-with]
reverse engineering the metronome that Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel invented and mass producing it
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.