IM- PROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée
Valin, both of Paris (France), Gentlemen, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS."
Sealed the 17th July 1857, and dated the 22nd January 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said François Alexandre
Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée Valin at the Office of the Commissioners
of Patents, with their Petition, on the 22nd January 1857.
We, FRANÇOIS ALEXANDRE NICOLAS DELSARTE and ELISÉE VALIN, both of
Paris (France), Gentlemen, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS," to be
as follows:
The Invention consists in certain improvements to a Patent, obtained on
the 12 of October 1854, by François Alexandre Nicholas Delsarte, for a new
mode of an apparatus for tuning pianos and other kind of stringed instru-
The improvements are applicable to pianos, harps, and other similar
stringed musical instruments, and they have for their object to make the
tuning of them more easy and accurate. For this purpose, a bell, tuning fork,
or other suitable sonorous body, fixed to the instrument and communicating
with the strings, serves as a diapason or pitch, on which the strings are tuned
in unison, or at the octavo (according to the principles set forth in Delsarte's
above-mentioned Patent), the re-percussion of the sound of the string by this

page_text: bell, tuning fork, or other suitable sonorous body serving as an unerring guide
for indicating that the string has been brought to the right point of strain.
Another part of the Invention consists in taking on each string for the part
to be tuned at unison, or at the oxtavo, with the before-mentioned bell, tuning
fork, or other suitable sonorous body, that part which extends from the bridge
to the point where the stop hammer (the arrangement and use of which will
be described hereafter) is to strike the string. For this purpose, we make use
of a small additional key-board, or other suitable fixed or moveable mechanical
arrangement, for causing stops, actuated in a similar manner as the ordinary
piano key-board hammers (and to which stops we give the name of stop
hammers), to strike one, two, or more strings of each group or cluster of
three strings, the stop hammer being kept in this position during the time
required, during which the same acts as a stop or damper for a part of the
string, according to the principle explained in Delsarte's before-mentioned
Patent. By a suitable mechanical arrangement, a single stop hammer, caused
to travel over the entire width of the piano, may suffice for tuning all the
strings of the instrument.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent
filed by the said François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée Valin
in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 22nd July 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, FRANÇOIS
ALEXANDRE NICOLAS DELSARTE and ELISÉE VALIN, both of Paris, Gentlemen,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of January, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
us, the said François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée Valin, Her
special licence that we, the said François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and
Elisée Valin, our executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as we,
the said François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée Valin, our executors,
administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times thereafter 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 PIANOS AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL

page_text: INSTRUMENTS," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said François
Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte and Elisée Valin, our executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under our, or their, or one of their hands and
seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Inven-
tion, 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that we, the said Erançois Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte
and Elisée Valin, do hereby declare the nature of our said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The Invention consists in the application to pianos, and other stringed
musical instruments of the same nature, such, for instance, as harps, of one
or more tuning forks, bells, or other suitable sonorous bodies, with the object
of rendering the tuning of the said instruments more easy and accurate.
The Invention is partly an improvement on the Patent obtained by
Mr. Delsarte on the 12th of October 1854. By the method patented by
Mr. Delsarte, the tuning of pianos, harps, and other stringed musical instru-
ments of the same nature, was brought back to the mere tuning by unison
with one string of the instrument, which string is to form the pitch of all the
strings of the center stave or center scale of the instrument; the other notes
being afterwards tuned by octaves with this center or standard stave. By
this method the tuning was consequently brought back to a mere tuning by
unison; in practice it was found that however easy this latter may seem to
be, many persons feel great difficulty in judging of the perfect tuning by
unison.
The object of the present Invention is to offer an easy and unerring method
of tuning by unison, and for this we have availed ourselves of the fact, suffi-
ciently proved in natural philosophy, that a tuning fork, bell, or other sonorous
body will reverberate or repercute the sound of a string or cord, with which
the same is in communication whenever this latter is at perfect unison or
octave therewith; thus, if a tuning fork, bell, or other similar sonorous body
is applied to the sounding-board of a piano, and one of the strings of this
latter is at perfect unison or octave with the said tuning fork, bell, or other
similar sonorous body, and the said string is caused to sound, the same will
put in vibration, such as to be perfectly audible, the said fork, bell, or other
similar sonorous body; and on the reverse, when the said string brings the
said fork, bell, or other sonorous body with which the same is in communi-
cation in vibration, this will be an unerring sign of the string being at unison,

page_text: or at the octaves of the said fork, bell, or other sonorous body; and it is on
this principle we have based our arrangements for the easy and accurate
tuning of pianos, harps, and other stringed musical instruments of the same
nature, in which arrangements either a single fork, bell, or other similar
sonorous body may be fixed to the piano or other stringed musical instrument
to be tuned, and thereon the entire series of strings tuned, according to the
principles laid down in Delsarte's above-mentioned Patent; or we may have
as many tuning forks, bells, or other similar sonorous bodies as will be found
to answer well in practice, the said tuning forks, bells, or other similar sonorous
bodies being in direct communication with the sounding-board or other part
of the piano, harp, or other similar stringed musical instrument to be tuned.
. Instead of the said tuning fork, bell, or other similar sonorous body, one or
more of the strings themselves of the instrument might be made use of,
according to the principle explained, but we prefer to use a tuning fork or
bell; but we wish it to be understood that we do not intend in the least to
restrain ourselves to any particular sonorous body, or to any particular mode
of applying the same to the instruments to be tuned.
The tuning fork, bell, or other sonorous body which is to act as a pitch or
diapason must be brought in communication with the strings to be tuned,
either directly, or by any intermediate sonorous body capable of suitably
transmitting the vibrations.
For ascertaining the existence of the unison by means of the method
and arrangements described in Delsarte's above-mentioned Patent, it will be
sufficient to bring each of the strings in succession in communication with the
tuning fork, bell, or other similar sonorous body acting as key note or pitch,
having already reduced the lengths of the said strings according to Mr. Del-
sarte's method, and then cause these strings to be sounded either by the
hammers of the piano or by any other suitable means, when, should the string
tuned be at unison or octavo of the said key-note, this latter will produce a
sound, which, in case the same is a tuning fork or bell, is easily to be dis-
tinguished from that of the string.
As has already been mentioned, the tuning fork, bell, or other similar sonor-
ous body serving as a standard, may be either in direct contact with the string,
by whose sounding the same is to be put into vibration; or this may take place
through the medium of the stops employed in Mr. Delsarte's arrangement, or
by any other suitable means; or the tuning fork, bell, or other sonorous body
which is to serve as standard, key-note, or pitch, may be placed itself on a
sonorous pedestal, box, glass, or other suitable body, by which its sound is
increased; or, when a bell is made use of, we place a hollow body with its

page_text: opening at a right angle towards the said bell, which we have found to have.
its sound considerably increased by this contrivance, so that very minute vibra
tions may thus be observed.
When only one tuning fork, bell, or other similar sonorous body is to bé
made use of, then the strings of the instrument are brought (previously to their
regular tuning) to the reduced lengths, according to Delsarte's above-men-
tioned Patent; each of them in turn is then sounded and wound up or
left down until it causes the fork or bell to vibrate, which then will be a sign
of the string being perfectly tuned; the same is done in succession with each
of the strings of one stave (for which we prefer taking the centre stave), or
with each of the strings of the entire instrument, which then will be found
perfectly tuned. It would be superfluous to add, that during the time one
string is to be tuned the others must be prevented from vibrating, either by
the dampers or any other suitable means; or we apply as many tuning forks,
bells, or other similar sonorous bodies as will give the tones and semitones of
a full octave, which forks or other bodies are to serve as the standards or key
notes. Each of them is then put in communication with its corresponding
string or its octaves. If, then, these corresponding strings or octaves cause
their respective key-notes to vibrate, this will be a sign of their being perfectly
tuned therewith; whereas when they do not cause them to vibrate, we screw
up or loosen the string until the vibration of the key-notes takes place. Each
string is thus tuned on its turn, though we prefer only tuning the strings of
the centre stave, after which the strings of this stave may, if found convenient,
be taken for the key-notes of the other staves.
A great many and various arrangements may be applied to pianos, harps,
and other stringed musical instruments of the same nature, for putting into
practical effect the principles of our Invention; and we do not in the least
intend to restrain ourself to any one of these arrangements in particular, as
they all belong to our Invention, as long as they act according to the principles
explained, We will, however, give here an example in which mode the
Invention might be applied to a piano. We have a rod or rule of metal or any
other suitable material fixed to the bridge of the piano, either over or under
the strings, in such manner as to touch them all in their silent part beyond
the bridge, and we extend this rule as far as the screws for drawing up the
strings, in order that its extremity may be as near as possible to the ear of
the tuner, and on this extremity we place the above-mentioned tuning forks,
bells, or other similar sonorous bodies which are to act as key-notes, standards,
or pitch. The strings to be tuned may be struck by the hammers of the piano,
or by any other suitable means.

page_text: Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same may be put into practical effect, we wish it to be understood
that we do not confine ourselves to any peculiar mechanical arrangement; but
we claim as our Invention,-
1, the mode of tuning pianos, .harps, or other similar stringed musical
instruments, by causing the strings to be screwed up or lowered down till by
repercution they put in vibration one or more tuning forks, bells, or other
similar sonorous bodies with which the strings of the instrument are in com-
munication, hereby indicating when the said strings are tuned by unison or
octaves with the said forks, bells, or other sonorous bodies.
.2, the application to pianos,. harps, or any other stringed musical instru-
ments of the same nature, of apparatus having for their object the tuning of
the said instruments, according to the principles above described.
In witness whereof, we, the said François Alexandre Nicolas Delsarte
and Elisée Valin, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this
Eighteenth day of July, One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
seven
F. A. N. DELSARTE. (L.S.)
ELISÉE VALIN.
(L.S.)