Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel (1780 - 1826) 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Dietrich Winkel was born in Amsterdam in 1780. He was the first inventor of a successful metronome. Municipality of Amsterdam Alternate meanings: See Amsterdam Amsterdam  listen is the capital of the Netherlands. ... 1780 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... An inventor is a person who creates new inventions, typically technical devices such as mechanical, electrical or software devices or methods. ... A mechanical wind-up metronome in motion A metronome is a device that produces a strict rhythm. ...

In 1812, while experimenting with pendulums, he discovered that a pendulum weighted on both sides of the pivot could beat steady time, even for the slow tempos often used in European classical music. 1812 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A gravity pendulum is a weight on the end of a rigid rod, which, when given some initial lift from the vertical position, will swing back and forth under the influence of gravity over its central (lowest) point. ... Pivot (Fr. ... This article is about tempo in music. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, particularly between 1000 and 1900. ...

Unfortunately, Winkel did not appropriately protect his idea, and by 1816, Johann Nepenuk Mälzel had stolen his construction ideas and patented the so-called "Mälzel Metronome," which remains in use to this day. 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Johann Nepomuk Mälzel (August 15, 1772 - July 21, 1838) was an inventor, engineer, and showman, best known for manufacturing a metronome and several music automatons, and displaying a fraudulent chess machine. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a government to an inventor or applicant for a limited amount of time (normally maximum 20 years from the filing date, depending on extension). ...

Thus, even today Mälzel often incorrectly receives credit for what was rightly Winkel's creation.