IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO GRAND PIANO- FORTES FOR ALTERING THE VOLUME OF TONE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Turvey, of Southport, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPLICABLE TO GRAND PIANO-
FORTES FOR ALTERING THE VOLUME OF TONE."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Turvey at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 30th December 1879.
JAMES TURVEY, of Southport, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND APPLICABLE TO GRAND PIANOFORTES FOR ALTERING THE VOLUME OF
TONE."
The "celeste" pedal is already in use in many upright piano-fortes, but no
makers have, I believe, as yet invented a means of applying it to grand piano-
fortes owing to the difficulty of clearing the damper wires and moving a long thin
lath by working one end of it only. This latter difficulty I overcome by the
simple device which is applied to the well known "parallel ruler." This is accom-
plished in the following manner:-The long bar or "parallel ruler" has projecting
wires or other connections bent obliquely, so as to lie in lines approximately
coincident with the curve that the points of the parallel ruler describe, so that as
the parallel uler advances or recedes the projecting wires shall travel over the same
points, equidistant between the damper wires, instead of coming in contact with
them by the angular movement of the bar. These oblique projecting wires carry
a thin lath or paste-board, to which felt is attached in such manner that when the
parallel ruler is extended the felt comes over the hammers, but is clear of them when
the "ruler" is drawn back.
The lath lies behind the damper wires under the strings. The soft felt which
the hammers must strike upon the strings must be in front of the damper wires,
and at the same time be connected and work with the long lath. The lath is
worked backwards and forwards in the following way.
The foot-pedal instead of moving the whole action of the piano-forte, so as only
to use part of the strings, is made to work a lever under the piano-forte, which
acts as a pulldown on a square or bell-crank, which square or bell-crank pulls
forward the lath and felt. This square or bell-crank lever is attached to the side
of the piano-forte on a small block between the action and the case, where there is
Di C37

page_text: always sufficient room, and is all the extra mechanism required in existing piano-
fortes, and can be attached without any cutting or mutilation of any kind. A
spring is under the pedal lever to bring up the pedal, and a small spiral spring
attached to the case of the piano-forte brings back the lath and felt clear of the
hammers. This may be a third pedal if it is desired to retain the original soft
pedal, and then there would be three degrees of tone obtainable from the piano-
forte.
The advantages of this Invention are,-
It does away with the shifting of the whole action of the piano-forte from three
to two strings every time the player wishes to play very softly, which shifting is
often inefectual, too heavy for ladies to work, and wears the hammers unequally,
not to mention the uncertainty and dis-comfort of performing on a continually
moving key-board.
The arrangement can be attached to all pianofortes already made at little
cost, and in the case of pianofortes to be made will be a great saving in
manufacture.
The mode of attaching to existing piano-fortes is to take off a few treble strings,
slip the lath in at the last end a few strings from the bottom, draw it until it
slips down flat, and then push it back until the treble end is flat on the sound
board rib; then attach the parallel connection and put back the treble strings.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, and of
an Order of the Lord Chancellor, filed by the said James Turvey in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 10th July 1880.
JAMES TURVEY, of Southport, in the County of Lancaster.
IMPROVEMENTS
IN AND APPLICABLE TO GRAND PIANOFORTES FOR ALTERING THE VOLUME OF
TONE"
Fig. 1 is a plan view with the cover removed of the front part of a grand piano-
forte showing my Invention in position; Fig. 2, sectional end elevation of same;
Fig. 3, plan view of apparatus before insertion under the strings; Fig. 4, lever
connecting bell crank lever H with foot pedal F.
The "celeste" pedal for altering the volume of tone is already in use in many
npright pianofortes, but no makers have, believe, as yet invented a means of
applying it to grand pianofortes owing to the difficulty of clearing the damper
wires and moving a long thin lath by working one end of it only. This latter
difficulty I overcome by the simple device which is applied to the well known
"parallel ruler."
Referring to the Drawings A is the long flat bar of wood or metal already
mentioned; B, strip of felt, on which the hammers strike; B¹, the bar of wood or
pasteboard to which the felt is attached; C, connections between A and B';
E, connections fastened to A at one end and to the pianoforte at the other to give
A a parallel motion; G, lever connecting the bell crank lever H with the foot
pedal F; II, square or bell crank lever, I, block for supporting bell crank lever H;
K, spiral spring, a, connecting link between bell crank lever H, lath A, and spiral
spring K; b, joint in lath A; c, dampers; d, hammer heads
The long bar A working in conjunction with the movable connections E corre-
sponding to the second bar of a "parallel ruler" has projecting wires or other
connections C bent obliquely, so as to lie in lines approximately coincident with
the curve that the points of the "parallel ruler" or bar A describe, so that as A
advances or recedes the connections C shall travel over approximately the samo
points, equidistant between the damper wires, instead of coming in contact with
them by the angular movement of the bar. These oblique connections C carry a
thin lath or pasteboard B', to which felt B is attached in such manner that when
the bar A is extended the felt B comes over the hammers, which strike it, but is
drawn back clear of them when required along with and by means of the lath or
bar A.
The lath or bar A lies behind the damper wires under the strings. The soft
felt B, against which the hammers strike when drawn forward, must be in front
of the damper wires, and at the same time be connected and work with the long
lath A.
The lath or bar A is worked backwards and forwards in the following manner.-
The foot pedal instead of moving the whole action of the pianoforte, so as only to
use part of the strings, is made to work a lever G (seen in Fig. 4) under or inside
the pianoforte, which acts as a pull-down on a square or bell crank lever H. The
square or bell crank lever H is attached to the lath A by connections a, and on the
foot pedal F, to which it is connected through the lever G being depressed, draws
the lath A forward and with it felt B, the parallel motion being maintained at the
other end by means of the supports or connections E. This square or bell crank
lever H is attached to the side of the pianoforte on a small block I between the
action and the case, where there is always sufficient room, and is all the extra
mechanism required in existing pianofortes. It can be attached without any
cutting or mutilation. A spring is under the pedal lever to bring up the pedal,
and a small spiral spring K attached to the case of the pianoforte brings back the
lath A and felt B clear of the hammers. If it is desired to retain the original soft

page_text: pedal a third may be added to move the lath A and felt B, there would then be
three degrees of tone obtainable from the pianoforte.
The advantages of this Invention arc,-
It obviates the necessity of shifting the whole action of the pianoforte (from
three to two strings) every time the player wishes to play very softly, which
shifting is often ineffectual, too heavy for ladies to work, and wears the hammers
unequally, not to mention the uncertainty and discomfort of performing on a
continually moving keyboard.
The arrangement can be attached to all pianofortes already made at little
cost, and in the case of pianofortes to be made will be a great saving in
manufacture.
The mode of attaching to existing pianofortes is to take off a few treble strings,
slip the lath in at the bass end a few strings from the bottom, draw it until it slips
down fat, and then push it back until the treble end is flat on the sound-board
rib; then attach the parallel connection and put back the treble strings. Or else
to make the lath in two pieces with a joint, as shown at b The longer end is
then pushed under the strings, say, one foot from the bass end, until it drops flat,
and then slid back under the strings The shorter piece then put under the
strings at the treble end from below, where there are no damper wires. The two
ends are then brought together, and the joint screwed up by means of a small
screw-driver between the strings. This mode of fixing does not require the removal
of any of the strings.
Having now described my Invention, and the best modes known to me of
carrying it into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I believe to be new,
and desire to claim under the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent is,―
The manufacture of grand pianofortes with a sliding lath or bar working on
the principle of the "parallel ruler," to which is attached a strip of felt or other
suitable deadening material capable of being drawn between the hammers and the
strings, substantially as and for the purposes described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Turvey, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
Witness,
JAMES HILTON TURVEY.
JAMES TURVEY. (L.S.)