AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A KEYED HARP, WHICH I DENOMINATE THE GRAND CLA- VILYRA
Year: 1813

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
BATEMAN, of the Township of Wyke, in the Parish of Birstall, and County
of York, Woollen Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Ninth day of December,
in the fifty-fourth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said John
Bateman, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His especial licence, full power,
sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John Bateman, my exors, admors,
and assigns, during the term of years therein mentioned, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT OR IMPROVEMENTS
IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A KEYED HARP, WHICH I DENOMINATE THE GRAND CLA-
VILYRA;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso obliging
me, the said John Bateman, by an instrument in writing under my hand and
seal, to cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months after the date of the said
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same (relation being thereunto had,
may more fully and at appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, 'the said
John Bateman, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained in the annexed Drawings, with their references and the
following description thereof, that is to say :—

page_text: With which said Invention the strings of harps, harpsichords, pianofortes,
and other musical instruments, of whatever fit material the said strings are
made, may be struck at or near the middle, or in any other proper place, in a
similar manner to that of the fingers upon the strings of a harp, by playing
upon keys in the same manner as on a harpsichord or pianoforte. I effect this
principally by giving a revolving motion to the finger of a plectrum, causing it,
when forced by the key, to strike the string as it advances in its orbit, and to
avoid it as it retires. I give this revolving motion to the finger of the plectrum
by means of a groove in an elliptic form, properly placed and fixed, in which a
pin moves that is fastened to the plectrum. I can also give the same motion
to the said finger by fixing the groove to the plectrum in the place and instead
of the pin, and the pin in the place where the grooves otherwise would be, in
which case the groove will move round the pin when the plectrum is forced by
the key. The said groove may either be fixed, as shewn by the Drawings, or
in any other place where it can be suitably connected with a pin in the
plectrum for the purpose above mentioned. Or, if preferred, something repro-
senting the outside of the said groove may be fixed in one place, and that
which forms the inside may be fixed in another, provided there be pins in the
plectrum that will properly connect with each; or one half of the said groove
may be fixed in one place, and the corresponding half in another. In all cases
the aforesaid groove, or something of the nature of the aforesaid groove, must
be used to give the said revolving motion to the finger of the plectrum.
Drawing 1, Fig. 1.-A, the elliptic groove before mentioned. It is wider at
the bottom of the right-hand side and at the top of the left-hand side. In this
groove the aforesaid pin of the plectrum readily takes the wider part, both as
it ascends and descends, revolving in a natural manner as the plectrum turns
upon its axis, and is forced up and down with the key, thereby causing the
finger to strike the string as it advances in its orbit, and to avoid it as it retires
see Drawing 4, with the its references. The plectrum may be made sufficiently
heavy to fall down by its own weight, after it is pushed up by the key. The
aforesaid groove may be made of any material that is firm, and will prevent
noise; and also of different dimensions, as shewn by the Drawings; the larges
is for the long strings and the least for the short ones. The middle piece tha
forms the inside of the said groove may be made of wood or any other fit mate
rial; but in the above Figure it is made of whalebone covered with soft leathe
and glued to a wooden block. The soft leather is cut through edgeway with a
narrow chisel, and the hole opened and put on to the middle piece; the point
are dressed off afterwards. The outside of the groove is hard leather, with a
piece of soft leather glued between it and the said block. The soft leather

page_text: by yielding to the pressure of the plectrum pin, prevents noise. It has also a
narrow piece of soft leather on the edge that forms the outside of the groove
for the same purpose. B, the aforesaid block.
Fig. 2. A, the side of leather in which the groove is cut. B, the side of
the block.
Fig. 3. A, the aforesaid groove, a little different in shape, the outside of
which is made of a narrow piece of good firm buck leather or other fit material,
wrapped round, as shewn by the Drawing, stuck together with paste or other fit
cement, and glued or otherwise fixed to the said block. The middle piece is
made of hard leather or other fit material, covered with soft leather or other fit
material, and glued to the block, or otherwise fixed. It has also a small wire
pin put through its centre into the said block. The front of the block is a little
fluted, which causes the front of the groove to be the same to correspond with
the sideway motion of the plectrum pin. B, the block; C, the plectrum;
D, the finger. It is made of soft leather or other fit material, glued or other-
wise fastened upon hard leather or any other suitable substance, and fixed by
an adjusting screw to an arm projecting from the plectrum. The hard leather,
or the substance representing it, may be left out by making the arm answer
the same purpose, and gluing the soft leather or other fit material upon it, in
which case the adjusting screw may be in the stem of the plectrum, where the
arm may move a little in its mortice, and be fastened with the said screw.
Fig. 4. C, the aforesaid plectrum; D, inside of the finger with its arm.
The arm may be made shorter, for the short strings diminishing in a suitable
proportion to them. E, the aforesaid pin. It has a friction roller upon it made
of hard leather or other fit substance; it may be covered with soft leather or
other fit substance. The pin is fastened to the plectrum by a piece of hard
leather or other fit substance, which, by bending a little to the pressure of the
pin, prevents noise.
These screws are
blocks with the plectrum
Fig. 5 is a section of the plectrum frame. In it are placed the sliding
cases, to which are attached all the blocks. These cases with the blocks move
the plectrum nearer or farther from the springs at pleasure, with a pedal A, A,
B, B, C, C, the same as in Fig. 4. D, D, tlie fingers. F, F, the block
cases. G, G, screws that fasten the blocks to the case.
placed in an oblong hole in the case, by which the
may be placed at a proper distance from the string.
on which the block case moves. It is fixed to the top of the frame by strong
wires placed at proper intervals. I, one of the said wires. J, top of the
aforesaid frame, which receives the said wires. K, the bottom of the instru-
ment. L, a piece of wood in which the bottoms of the plectrum move; the
H, H, wood with rabbits,

page_text: holes or sockets through which they pass may be lined with cloth or any other
fit material to prevent noise. M, M, the covers that keep the tops of the
plectrum in their holes or sockets; may be lined with cloth, or any other fit
material. N, N, the ends of the keys; they may fall on springs, or any other
suitable yielding substance, to prevent noise. 0, 0, the strings; they are
arranged in two rows, and pass from semitone to semitone.
Fig. 6 is the back of part of the plectrum frame. A, A, A, B, B, B,
C, C, D, D, F, F, F, F, G, G, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, M, N, N, N, N, O, the
same articles as in Fig. 5.
T is a
Drawing II. sheweth a part of both ends of the front of the plectrum
frame. It crosseth the instrument in a curved manner, as shewn by f, in
Drawing 3. A, A, A, B, B, B, C, C, C, C, C, C, D, D, D, D, D, D, F, F,
F, F, F, F, F, F, F, F, F, G, G, G, H, I, J, J, K, K, L, L, M, M, M,
N, N, N, N, N, N, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, are the same as in Fig. 5, Drawing 1.
P is an iron lever that slides the block cases; Q, its centre pin. R, a pin fixed
in the lower block case; S, a pin fixed in the upper block case.
moveable piece of wood, which is pulled down by a spiral spring under it.
U, U, friction; V, end of the lever; W, an iron rod. It is placed in one of
the legs of the instrument, as is common in pianofortes. It is connected with
a pedal at the foot of the said leg and with the aforesaid lever V.
pedal is pressed it moves the lower block case with its plectrums towards the
right hand with the intervening apparatus above mentioned; and at the same
time moves the upper block case, with its plectrums, towards the left hand.
Those block cases are forced back again by springs. X, the spring that pulls
back the lower block case; Y, the spring that pushes back the upper block
The aforesaid pedal may open a door into the instrument on the back
of the sounding board, at the same time that it moves the plectrums nearer
the strings, which will also increase the tone. Z, Z, the side of the instrument.
case.
When the
Drawing III. shows the instrument, which is in an horizontal position. It may
be constructed many different ways, and of various dimensions, as also all the
apparatus it contains, and made of other materials, but the nature and use of
them will be the same in all cases. a, a, the keys; they are similar to those
of a pianoforte. b, the strings; c, the side of the sounding board. If it is
for catgut or silk strings it may be made similar to that of a harp, and the
strings fasten in it the same way; but if for wire strings, what is here called
the side may be a sounding board for the upper row of strings to be stretched
upon, constructed in a similar manner to that of a pianoforte; under it there
must be another at three inches distance for the lower row of strings. The
aforesaid door that may open in the back of these sounding boards will make

page_text: it convenient to put the strings on to their places. d, d, a piece of wood
strengthened with iron or other metal, and firmly fixed at the ends to the sides.
of the instrument; it is three inches thick at the bridges; in it.are placed
the tuning pegs. The lower row of strings are stretched on the under side and
tuned by the first row of pegs. The upper row are stretched on the top, and
tuned by the second row of pegs. e, the pedal; f, the plectrum frame before
mentioned. By crossing the instrument in the curved line here shewn, it
causeth the block cases, when forced by the pedal, to carry the plectrum nearer
the strings in different proportions, according to the angles in which they
approach them. The plectrums for the shorter strings, by approaching them in
such an oblique manner, will be very little nearer, when those for the
longer ones, and approaching them at right angles or thereabouts, have advanced
the eighth of an inch, which is very necessary, for if the plectrums upon the
short strings were to advance as much as those upon the long ones, the short
strings would be struck too hard, while the tone of the long ones would not be
sufficiently augmented. This may be done by various methods, and all are
necessary to every competent mechanic, that it is needless describing them here.
Drawing IV. sheweth another kind of plectrum. It moves horizontally.
The grooves, the fingers, and plectrum frame are also placed horizontally, by
which the instrument may be placed and played in a perpendicular position.
A, A, the side of the leather in which the groove is cut, the same as Fig. 1,
Drawing 1. B, B, the block to which the groove is glued or otherwise fixed.
C, C, C, the plectrum; it is of a convenient thickness, and does not turn upon its
axis like the plectrum shewn in Drawing 1, but has a moveable piece of wood
attached to it, to which the finger is fixed. D, D, the said finger, which, by
turning upon its pivot at the other end of its moveable wood, and being guided
by its pin, E, E, which is placed in the groove, in the same manner as in
Drawing 1, hath the same revolving motion given to it, as the plectrum is
pushed backwards and forwards with the key. F, F, G, G, H, H, I, J, L,
M, M, N, O, O, are the same articles and for the same purposes as the corre-
sponding letters in Drawing 1, Fig. 5. L also serves for a roller board for the
levers to be attached to that connect with the ends of the plectrums, and the
upright rods that go down to the keys. It is fastened at the ends to the sides of
the instrument, and crosseth it in the same direction as the plectrum frame.
In this upright instrument the iron rod which slides the block cases, noticed in
W, in Drawing 2, must reach up to the end of the plectrum frame, where it.
may be applied immediately with a pin in its top to the end of the iron lever P,
mentioned also in Drawing 2, with its references, and which, in this case, will be
horizontal, and consequently at right angles with the said rod. 9, 9, the levers.
that push the plectrums; h, h, the rods that connect with the levers and the.

page_text: keys, and which, by being pushed up by the keys, push the plectrums by the
said levers. The plectrums may be forced back again by springs at their
other ends. i, a piece of wood with holes or sockets, in which the bottoms
of the rods are placed. j, j, the aforesaid springs to force the p':ctrums back.
k, k, the aforesaid pivot on which the moveable wood turns.
Drawing V. is a front view of the instrument in an upright position.
a, the keys; they are about a foot long, and similar to those of a pianoforte.
b, b, the strings; they are arranged in two equal rows, three inches one
from the other, but they may be placed at any convenient distance, the
foremost of which rows only is seen in this Drawing. c, d, e, f, are the
same as in Drawing 3, which see; g, h, are the same as in Drawing 4; L, the
aforesaid roller board. It is filled with rods and levers from end to end, but
part of which only are exhibited in this Drawing in order to show the plectrum
frame and strings which are beyond them.
Drawing VI. Fig. 1 is a different construction of the instrument, in which
the strings are placed horizontally; they are in two equal rows, about three
inches distant. The same are shewn by the aforegoing Drawings. In this
instrument the grooves, the plectrums, and plectrum frame are placed between
the rows of strings. The fingers of the plectrums may be moved by the pedal
nearer or farther from the strings, in order to swell the tone, either by sliding
the grooves up towards the right hand or by sliding the wood that contains
the tops of the plectrums down towards the left hand; the last-mentioned
motion is adopted in this Drawing. If the first-mentioned motion is preferred,
the wood to which the grooves are attached may be placed horizontally, and
slide in rabbets upon the wood which contains the sockets for the bottoms of
the plectrums, the pins of which must be suitably fixed to connect with the
said grooves. A, A, a row of grooves similar to those shewn by Drawing 1;
they are for the front row of plectrums and strings. B, a fixed piece of wood
to which the said grooves are attached. There is another row of grooves
attached to the other side of the said wood for the back row of plectrums and
strings. This back row of grooves have the ascending or or wider part of the
bottom of the left-hand side, and the descending or wider part at the
top of the right-hand side, contrary to those shewn by Drawing 1; but
the front row. are the same as shewn by that Drawing. C, C, the
plectrums. They are placed in two equal rows to connect and correspond
with the above-mentioned rows of grooves. These plectrums are similar
to those shewn by Drawing 1; only in this case the pins that move
in the grooves, and the arms to which the fingers are attached, are not
both on one side of the plectrums, as there shewn, but at right angles, the
arms in both rows being on that side next, the tuning pegs. a, the keys; b,

page_text: the strings; c, the side of the sound board; d, a piece of crooked wood,
strengthened with sheets of brass or other metal, in which are placed the
tuning pegs; e, the pedal for the swell; f, a piece of wood, which receives in
sockets the tops of all the plectrums; it moves upon rabbets on the fixed
wod B, and is pulled down towards the left hand by pressing the pedal e,
which connects with it; this sliding wood, by carrying the tops of the plectrums
along with it, turns them a little upon their axles, and thereby throws the
fingers nearer the strings, which will be in greater or less proportions according
to the length of the plectrum pins and arms, and which may be varied accord-
ing to the lengths of the fingers. When the foot is taken off the pedal the
wood f, with all its apparatus, is forced back by a spring.
Fig. 2 is a section of the plectrum frame, exhibiting the two first strings,
plectrums, and keys. B, the wood to which are fixed the two rows of grooves
above mentioned; C, C, the plectrums; D, D, the strings; N, N, the keys;
f, the sliding wood above mentioned, which carries the tops of the plectrums.
The abovesaid pins and arms may be fixed on the stems of the plectrums by
sockets with adjusting screws in them, which may be taken off when necessary.
In order to take the plectrums out of their places, there must be a hole in the
bottom of the instrument under every plectrum, through which, when the keys
are taken away, the plectrums may be drawn after the pins and arms are
slipped off.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Bateman, have hereunto set my
band and seal, the Twenty-third day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fourteen.
Inrolled the Nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fourteen.