Chronology of Innovation: Vol II, The Trumpet Mute, by R. Dale Olson

Chronology of Innovation: Vol II, The Trumpet Mute, by R. Dale OlsonCHRONOLOGY OF INNOVATIONUNITED STATES PATENTS RELATED TO THE TRUMPET1848 2014VOLUME II: THE TRUMPET MUTE R. DALE OLSON Chronology of Innovation is a series of writings that describes and critiques every United States patent even granted related to the trumpet and other brass musical instruments. Completed, the work will represent the largest writing of its kind related to technology of brass instruments. The author, R. Dale Olson, has categorized

CHRONOLOGY OF INNOVATION
UNITED STATES PATENTS RELATED TO THE TRUMPET
1848 – 2014

VOLUME II: THE TRUMPET MUTE

R. DALE OLSON

 “Chronology of Innovation” is a series of writings that describes and critiques every United States patent even granted related to the trumpet and other brass musical instruments. Completed, the work will represent the largest writing of its kind related to technology of brass instruments.

The author, R. Dale Olson, has categorized patents according to a system that differs from that of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, so as to be more accessible to musicians.

Within this impressive treatise, R. Dale Olson has produced a book that addresses every facet of sound modulation devices for brass musical instruments in history. Considering its 441 pages, this is the most complete, and massive writing ever created to fully explore the mute.

Typical of all Olson writings, the author has first provided an historical background of the subject, and continued to deeply explore every element of mute design, concept, and construction independently. Olson has, for the first time, created formulae from which vintage mutes described within United States Patent and Trademark Office documents may be reproduced.

Topics include, but are not limited to, issues such as:

• The History of Mutes
• Classification Systems
• Acoustics of the Muted Trumpet
• The Mute: Its Physical Structure
• Concomitants of Performance Characteristics
• Approximately 240 pages of graphics from U.S. Patents for mutes, with critiques
• Eleven Appendices
• A List of over 200 Mute Makers, Both Historic and Contemporary
• Fourteen pages of References and Bibliography
  

The first mute to have been given a United States patent was Serial Number 51,363, a very simple invention of John F. Stratton, of New York City, New York, on December 5, 1865. The Stratton invention was for a “practice mute”.

Nearly 150 years, and 123 patents later, several designers were granted U.S. Patents for very sophisticated, acoustically complex inventions. Like Stratton, their mutes were also essentially “practice mutes”.

Certain mutes over many decades were designed to soften the sound, others were created to modify the tonal quality, and even two were made to amplify the tone. Many variants appeared within that Century and one-half. And, they are all dissected, analyzed, and critiqued within this writing by Olson.

 
CHRONOLOGY OF INNOVATION: AN OVERVIEW

A SERIES OF WRITINGS BY R. DALE OLSON


“Chronology of Innovation” is a series of writings that describes and critiques every United States patent even granted related to the trumpet and other brass musical instruments. Completed, the work will represent the largest writing of its kind related to technology of brass instruments.

The author, R. Dale Olson, has categorized patents according to a system that differs from that of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, so as to be more accessible to musicians.

Olson has long been recognized as one of the foremost international authorities regarding the design, acoustics, construction, history, and performance of the trumpet. He holds Masters degrees in Trumpet Performance from the University of North Texas, and in Experimental Psychology from California State University, Fullerton. He has lectured at numerous universities, and multiple presentations to the International Trumpet Guild. At the age of 25, Olson became Director of Research for the firm of F.E. Olds and Son, Inc., and has consulted with other makers over a career now covering over seven decades. His professional performing career covered over fifty years. After extensive research and active participation in the field of brass instrument technology, some of Olson’s selected works are now being published. His writings have been referred to as “…paradigms of precision in research and writing”.

The total number of each Volume within the “Chronology of Innovation” series will approximate 10 – 15. Volume I, “Drainage Systems”, was published in 2018, and Volume II, “The Trumpet Mute” is being announced in October, 2020. Volume III, the title and subject of which has not yet been disclosed, is anticipated to be available early in 2021.

Each Volume contains an exceptionally full background of each subject, including the history, design, acoustical implications, and context of the subject patent. The original graphic from the original United Sates patent, with a full description and critique of each invention is provided.

The length of each Volume differs as a function of the subject matter. Volume I, “Drainage Systems” is a 158 page book, whereas Volume II, “The Trumpet Mute” is 441 pages. Subjects that have fewer patents, such as “Cybernetics and Ergonomics”, will obviously be shorter, whereas those with numerous patents, such as “The Trumpet Mouthpiece”, will be much longer.

Musicologists, collectors, organologists, instrument makers, pedagogues, and performers have already begun to acquire this large collection of brass instrument technology.

 

R. DALE OLSON

Holding and Master’s Degrees in Trumpet Performance (University of North Texas), and Experimental Psychology (California State University, Fullerton), R. Dale Olson brings a new level of expertise to the fields of brass instrument acoustics, design, construction, history, and performance. In 2007, he was named Distinguished Alumnus of the University of North Texas.

Over a period in excess of sixty years, Olson has been co-researcher in brass instrument acoustics and design with Dr. Robert W. Young (then President of the Acoustical Society of America), acoustician William T. Cardwell, Jr., and instrument maker Zigmant J. Kanstul.

He has delivered lectures at numerous Universities and over ten presentations at International Trumpet Guild Conferences.

Although now retired from performance, Olson performed professionally on trumpet for over 60 years in all genres.

Olson was Director of Research for the firm, F.E. Olds and Son, Inc. for nearly a decade, and later consulted on instrument design and testing for firms such as Besson and Kanstul.

His writings are examples of in-depth, deeply researched, precise works that expand the boundaries of the subjects at hand, and are not simplistic restatements of previous authors. Olson’s works typically carry large numbers of references, indices, and appendices to assist in future scholarly investigations.