19° Keyboard Monochord

The keyboard monochord or Poussot monochord is a rare bowed string musical instrument, invented by Joseph Poussot and his uncle, Abbot Charles Tihay, and produced in Pierre-la-Treiche (Meurthe-et-Moselle) from 1886 to 1896. Manufacturer's label inside the sound box as it should be! Difficult to read. With the help of his uncle, Abbot Charles Tihay, Joseph Poussot decided to make an instrument similar to a violin but easier to play. He was inspired by the work of his uncle, inventor of the polychord with universal transposer (Patent No. 52569 of January 13, 1862 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works), and invented the monochord (and its different varieties) for which he filed a patent on March 8, 1886 with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. The instrument quickly acquired a reputation thanks to its ease of use. As early as 1889, it was the subject of an article in the science journal La Nature and renowned authors paid attention to it. Maugin and Maigne devote a dozen pages to the monochord in their work, the Nouveau manuel complet du luthier, a new edition published in Paris in 1894. Around 1,200 monochords were produced in the Pierre-la-Treiche workshops between 1886 and 1896. Although many have disappeared today, some can be seen at the Musée d'art et d'histoire in Toul and at the Musée Lorrain, in particular one donated by Joseph Poussot's daughter, Marie Deloge, in 1960. Another, richly decorated, was offered to the Vatican in 1888. There were also some in André Bissonnet's antique instrument shop in Paris and some were sent elsewhere in the world: Canada, Russia as well as to African missions.