IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Samuel Venables, of Essex Road,
Islington, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES."
Sealed the 10th October 1872, and dated the 16th April 1872.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said] Charles Samuel
Venables at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 16th April 1872.
I, CHARLES SAMUEL VENABLES, of Essex Road, Islington, in the
County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to prolong or continue the vibration of
the strings of the lower or bass part of pianofortes while an accompani
ment or air or harmony is being played on the upper or middle part.
To this end instead of making the damper rail in one piece so that
all the dampers connected therewith must be simultaneously operated
upon when the pedal is depressed, I divide the damper rail into two

page_text: parts and act on the two parts by separate pedals which are so arranged
that by depressing one pedal all the dampers may be raised as in the
usual manner, and by depressing the other only the lower or bass portion
will be raised, so that while the performer is playing the harmony of
the music on the upper part of the instrument, with the dampers acting
in the usual manner, any bass note that may have been struck will
continue to sound, as the pedal note of an organ, until the vibration of
the string ceases.
.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Charles Samuel Venables in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 16th October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, CHARLES
SAMUEL VENABLES, of Essex Road, Islington, in the County of Mid-
dlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her:
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixteenth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Charles Samuel Venables, Her special
licence that I, the said Charles Samuel Venables, my executors, admi-
nistrators, and assign's, or such others as I, the said Charles Samuel
Venables, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time, and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
“IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES," upon the condition (amongst others) that
I, the said Charles Samuel Venables, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the a
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and
cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Charles Samuel Venables, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to
say) :—
The object of my Invention is to prolong or continue the vibration
of the strings of the lower or bass part of pianofortes while an accom-
paniment or air or harmony is being played on the upper or middle part.
To this end instead of making the damper rail in one piece so that'
all the dampers connected therewith must be simultaneously operated
upon and raised or lifted away from the strings when the pedal is
depressed, I divide the damper rail into two or more parts and act on
the several parts by separate pedals which are so arranged that by
depressing one pedal all the dampers may be raised as in the usual
manner, and by depressing the other only the lower or bass portion will
be raised so that while the performer is playing the harmony of the
music on the upper part of the instrument with the dampers acting in
the usual manner any bass note that may have been struck will con-
tinue to sound as the pedal note of an organ until the vibration of the
string ceases.
.
In the accompanying Drawing I have shewn so much of an upright
pianoforte as will be necessary to render intelligible my improvements
which are adapted thereto. It will be seen that in this instance I have
shewn the damper bar as divided into only two separate parts a and a³,
the lower or bass part a' being capable of being acted upon so as to
raise or lift the dampers from off the strings without interfering with
the other portion a of the dampers. For all ordinary purposes it will
not be necessary to divide the damper bar into more than two, as already
mentioned and as shewn in the Drawing, but it will be obvious that if
desired it may be divided into three or more parts. The pedals for
working the two parts of the damper bar are shewn at 6 and 6', and
motion is transmitted therefrom to the sections of the damper bar by
the levers c, c', and vertical rods d and d. The third pedale is the
ordinary soft pedal for shifting the action, as is well known. It will
now be understood that by depressing the pedal b¹ the bass portion a¹ of
the damper bar will be lifted into the position indicated by dots in the
Figure, the other portion a of the damper bar remaining stationary, but

page_text: if the pedal 6 be depressed the upper portion a of the damper bar will
be raised and will carry up with it the part a¹ as a cleet which is fixed
to the part a' is made to project over the end of the part a, as shewn in
the Drawing.
Having now described my Invention of " Improvements in Piano- 5
fortes," and having explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I claim as the Invention secured to me by Letters Patent as
aforesaid, subdividing the damper bar and adapting to each part a
separate pedal so that while one part of the dampers will be allowed to
act in the ordinary manner the remainder (the bass portion for instance) 1
may be lifted away from the strings which will continue to vibrate for
some time as hercin set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Charles Samuel Venables, have
hereunto set my. hand and scal, the Fifteenth day of October,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy- 1
two.