CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Auguste Herce, of No. 18, Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle,
Paris, in the Empire of France, Piano Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS."
Sealed the 5th November 1867, and dated the 9th May 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Auguste Herce at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th May 1867.
I, AUGUSTE HERCE, of No. 18, Boulevard Bonne-Nouvelle, Paris, in the
Empire of France, Piano Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOS," to be as follows :—
Notwithstanding the numerous and varied forms adopted for pianos it is a
recognized fact that that peculiar form known as the "grand piano" is pre-
ferable to all others, which fact is to be attributed to its amplitude and
consequent adaptability to the laws of acoustics and the mathematical pro-
gression of its cords; nevertheless its unwieldy size and ungainly shape has
been considered an obstacle to its more general adoption. To remedy partly this
evil some makers have given to it a vertical position, which, however, gave rise
to objection on account of the difficulty of placing the player in an advantageous
position, for the instrument being placed against the wall his back was
naturally turned to the audience, whilst by his assuming his place with his
back to the wall his view of the audience is completely intercepted by the
instrument. To overcome these difficulties I have proposed placing the key-

page_text: board on the top of the vertical instrument and constructing a stage or
elevated seat for the player, so that whilst having perfect command of the
instrument he is perfectly conspicuous to the audience; this adjunct can form
I have
an integral part of the piano or it can be detached from the same.
given to this form of instrument the name of grand imperial pianoforte.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
-by-the said-Auguste-Herce-in the Great-Seal-Patent Office-on-the
7th November 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, AUGUSTE
HERCE, of 18, Boulevard Boune-Nouvelle, Paris, in the Empire of. France,
Piano Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight bundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her reign,
did; for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Auguste Herce, Her special licence that I, the said Auguste Herce,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Auguste Herce, my 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN PIANOS," upon the condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Auguste
Herce, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the 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.
.
NOW KNOW YE,. that I, the said Auguste Herce, 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 hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
For upwards of a century pianoforte makers have endeavoured to improve
the sound of their instruments by varying their form and construction.

page_text: Different forms, such as the grand, the square, the cottage, the trapezium,
the oblique, and semi-oblique pianos have been introduced, and they have
served to prove that the merit of a piano lies principally in its amplitude; this
is abundantly proved by the fact that the grand piano on account of its ample
size is the one in which the laws of acoustics are best observed, and in which
the mathematical progression of the strings is most easily carried out; never-
theless the shape of this kind of piano is so ungraceful and its size so unwieldy
that several makers have been induced to place it upright instead of hori-
zontally, the strings assuming also a vertical position; they have thus economized
about three-quarters of the horizontal surface covered by the piano without
reducing its quality or tone. Notwithstanding these advantages this form of
construction has met with a very limited adoption, as it is impossible to place
the pianist in a position agreeable for all, thus, when the instrument is placed
against the wall the artist turns his back to the audience, and if, on the
contrary, the position is reversed and the artist be placed near the wall he
is no longer visible, being completely hidden by his instrument.
By means of my improvements I maintain all the advantages of the grand
piano without any of the inconveniences or disadvantages above mentioned.
As I have represented it in the accompanying Drawing it will be seen that I
place the same in a vertical position with the keyboard at its upper surface ;
under these circumstances it would be impossible for the pianist to play seated
on an ordinary stool; I remedy this difficulty by providing an elevated seat or
tribune provided with a few steps, thus even a child can play seated and quite
as much at ease as on any ordinary piano. This arrangement necessitates a
modification in different parts of the instrument, but the improvements for
which I claim a Patent consist mainly in the tribune adapted to the instru-
ment, and for this reason I call such a piano a tribune or imperial piano. The
name may appear assuming, but in reality the monumental elevation of my
instrument, the lofty position of the player commanding his audience, and the
facility with which my improvements can be adapted to house organs in
general will ensure its general adoption for the drawing room, concert,
and ball rooms. This tribune can be applied not only to pianos but also to
bouse organs in general, as well as all instruments played on a keyboard.
The Figure in the accompanying Drawing represents one of my improved
pianos in elevation, the upper part of the case being shewn as broken away in
order that the internal action of the piano may be seen. The player is repre-
sented as mounted on a platform or tribune a, to which access is obtained by
means of a flight of four or more steps, as shewn in the Drawing.
The prominent advantages of this construction and arrangement are, firstly,

page_text: that the form of the piano is regular, it occupies but a relatively small ground
space, and is susceptible of receiving all kinds of ornamentation. Secondly,
it is placed more advantageously since the sonorous part faces the audience.
Thirdly, the performer is placed in such a manner that he commands a
complete view of his audience.
Moreover, it is evident that the style of tribune represented in the Drawing
can be varied in many ways, it can also be so made as to fold up when not in
use close up to the instrument.
Having thus explained my improvements in pianos, and the best means that
I am acquainted with for putting the same into practice, I claim as.my-Inven-
tion constructing vertical grand pianos with the keyboard at the upper part
as herein set forth, and also the system of elevating the performer on a tribune
or platform-so-as to enable him to face his audience, whether the instrument
he performs on be a piano, an organ, or any other instrument operated on by
a keyboard.
In witness whereof, I, the said Auguste Herce, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Thirty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
D. H. BRANDON,
13, Rue Gaillon,
Paris.
ATE. HERCE. (L.S.)