AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE FORMATION AND POSITION OF THE LONG KEYS B NATURAL AND C. SHARP, USED UPON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT COMMONLY CALLED THE CLARIONET, FOR THE MORE EASILY. FINGERING OF THE SAME
Year: 1819

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, J, JAMES
WOOD, of New Compton Street, in the Parish of Saint Giles in the Fields,
in the County of Middlesex, Musical Wind Instrument Maker, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eighteenth day of December, in the sixtieth year of His
reign, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant, unto me, the said
James Wood, my exors, admors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said James Wood, my exors, adiñors,
assigns, and every of them, by myself and themselves, or. by my and their
deputy or deputies, servants or. agents, or such others as I, the said James
Wood, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, shall at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter, during the term of four-
teen years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed,
my Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE FORMATION AND POSITION OF THE
LONG KEYS B NATURAL AND C. SHARP, USED UPON THE MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
COMMONLY CALLED THE CLARIONET, FOR THE MORE EASILY. FINGERING OF THE SAME;"
in which said Letters there is contained a proviso obliging me, the said James
.

page_text: Wood, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, to particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majesty's High Court of Chancery, within two calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as in and by the same,
reference being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in fulfilment of the said proviso, I, the said James
Wood, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in manner following (that is to say):
My said Invention of an improvement in the formation and position of the
long keys B natural, marked in music 4, and C sharp #, used upon the
musical instrument called the clarionet, for the more easily fingering of the
same, consists in placing and altering part of the said keys in such manner
as to allow the finger of the performer to pass from the key C sharp to the
key B natural, and from the key B natural again to the key C sharp (either
in the case of ascending or descending, with greater facility than can be
attained by the form and arrangement of the said keys as constructed upon
the clarionet at present in use.
Figure 1 on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed represents part of
a clarionet with the two long keys B natural and C sharp, and will serve to
explain those keys as they are at present constructed and used. The said keys
are placed upon the instrument in a direction nearly parallel to its length,
and are used with their fingering ends, marked B and C#, turned towards
the performer. Now, by this arrangement, the finger of the performer which
operates upon the said keys now in use must be passed sideways, or in a
direction across the instrument from one key to the other in producing the
notes B and C, which occasions an unpleasant and different motion of the
fingers, particularly in the performance of quick passages in music. My
improvement is adapted to obviate this inconvenience by placing the fingering.
parts of the said long keys B and C# in one line, and that in a direction
parallel to the length of the instrument, so that the finger of the performer
has only to move slightly forwards in the direction of the length of the
instrument to operate upon the said two keys, and thereby the fingering of
the said two keys is much facilitated. The object of my improvement may
be obtained in two ways, both of which I shall explain with reference to the
annexed Drawings in the Figures 2, 3, and 4. The long key C is shewn
nearly straight throughout its length, and then rises up at the part where the
finger is to be applied in the form of a button, as seen at C#, Figure 3. The

page_text: long key B, seen in Figures 2, 3, and 5, is placed parallel to and by the
side of key C#, and, turning slightly upwards at 61, passes over part of the
key C, but without touching it, as seen at 6 1, Figure 3, then bends down-
wards, and is continued forwards to 6 2, under one side of the button end
of C, and turns sideways, forming the fingering part, which will be clearly
understood from inspection of the Figures, wherein the key C# is distinguished
by a yellow colour, and the key Bby a black shade.
Figure 4 represents the key C# as detached from the instrument, and
Figure 5 the key B, also detached from the instrument.
The other way of effecting my improvement will be explained by Figures
6, 7, 8, and 9. In these Figures the position of the keys is reversed, the
key B is nearly straight, and rises up at its extremity to form the fingering
part in the form of a button, as seen at B, Figures 6 and 7, whilst the key
C# is placed nearly parallel to it, and on the opposite side to what is observe-
able in Figure 2, and bends upwards at C, 1, Figure 7, then passing over
part of the key B without touching it, as seen at C, 1, Figure 7, turns
down and is extended forwards to C, 2, under the fingering part of B, after
which it is turned sideways to bring it into one line with the fingering part
of B, as will be seen from inspection of the Figures 6 and 9. The key
which produces the note C is coloured yellow, and the key for B is a
black shade, similar to the Figures before described.
Figure 8 shews the key B as it would appear when detached from the
instrument, and Figure 9 the key C# in a similar situation. Figure 10 shews
the manner in which the keys are attached or jointed to the instrument by
their fulcrums or centers of motion. A piece of metal or other suitable sub-
stance is fitted so as to apply to the outside of the tube or pipe of the instru-
ment, having a rib or projecting part a, Figure 10, which enters into the side
of the tube or pipe, and is secured by passing two small pins of metal p, p,
diagonally through the same, as explained in the Figure 10. A, Figure 10,
shews this piece of metal as it appears sideways, or in the same position as
represented at F in the Figures 3 and 7 in the Drawing. It is also seen at F,
Figure 2 and 6, in another position; these pieces are affixed to the instru-
ment at the places seen by the letters F in the different Figures, but to this
part I do not extend my claim. I also wish it to be observed, that I do
not make claim to all the parts which are represented in the Drawings here-
unto annexed, since many of them are introduced only to explain the appli-
cation of my improvement, but shall confine my claim to those parts of the
keys which are altered in their form and position, so as to cause the fingering
parts of the said keys B and C to fall into one straight line, and that

page_text: line in the direction of the length of the instrument upon which the keys are
placed, or nearly so.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Wood, have hereunto set my hand
, in the year of our
day of
and seal, this
Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty.