AN IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS
Year: 1841

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GODWIN, of Cumberland Street, Hackney Road, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-third day of June, in
the fifth year of Her reign, did grant unto me, the said John Godwin, Her
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said John
Godwin, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John
Godwin, my exors, admors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN
IMPROVED CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES OF CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS;" in which said
Letters Patent there is contained a proviso that if I, the said John Godwin,
shall not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing
under my hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, that then the said recited Letters
Patent, and all liberties and advantages thereby granted, should cease, deter-
mine, and be void.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
John Godwin, do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention to consist

page_text: in placing the wrest-pin block above the strings while the sound board is
below the strings, as also in an extension of the sound board and in various
alterations and improvements in the movements connected with the keys and
dependent on the aforesaid arrangement of the wrest-pin block and sound
board. And in further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said John
Godwin, do hereby describe the manner in which my said Invention is to be
performed by the following statement thereof, reference being had to the
Drawing annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to
say:
Figure 1 represents part of the movement of a horizontál pianoforte, for
such are the certain description of pianofortes alluded to in the title of my
said Patent, as I apply my said Invention to horizontal pianofortes only; and
on reference to the Drawing it will be seen, that I pass the strings (and from
the lowest note in the bass to the highest note in the treble) from the plate A
over the bridge B on the sound board F, F, in the usual manner; but I pass
all the said strings under the bridge or bearing C on the wrest-pin block D,
and which bearing C, I also place on the under side of the wrest-pin block
in the manner represented in the Drawing; and I carry each of the said
strings round a pulley Z, having a separate pulley for each string in manner
herein-after described, and the pulleys made in the setts of two or three
together, according as the pianoforte is to have two or three unisons; and
then I carry each string vertically up that side of the wrest-pin block which
is nearest to the performer, when seated at the pianoforte, to the wrest pin,
to which wrest pin the string is attached in the usual manner, but which
wrest-pin I place in about the middle of the last-mentioned or front side of
the wrest-pin block, in the manner also represented in the Drawing. I prefer
to make the said pulley z of brass, and of the diameter of half an inch or
thereabouts, and I fix two or three pulleys (according as the pianoforte is
constructed with two or three unisons) mounted in a sett, but I make a
division between each pulley, as is represented in Figures 2 and 3, where
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section through the axle and shank of a
mounting, with two pulleys for two unisons; and Figure 3 a like section of
a mounting with three pulleys for three unisons. These pulleys and their
mountings I prefer to make of brass, and the mounting has a shank which
is rivetted into an iron plate X, which last-mentioned plate is screwed on to
the angle of the wrest-pin block, which is cut away for that purpose, in the
manner also represented in the Drawing. I also make the wrest-pin and block
of a rectangular form, as represented in the Drawing, and of the dimensions
of eight inches or thereabouts in width from front to back, and four inches or

page_text: thereabouts in depth from top to bottom; but I make the wrest-pin block in
two pieces, the junction of which two pieces is represented by the dotted line
a, a, and the lower of these two pieces is cut away to admit the strap b, b, of
the bar d, d, and which strap b, b, is made of the length of six inches or
thereabouts, being, as far as it can be conveniently, let into the block so as
not to interfere with the wrest-pins; and each of the bars is fitted with a like
strap let into the wrest-pin block in the same manner, and which straps are
thus let in to counteract the tendency of the tension of the strings, in this
construction of pianofortes, to depress the front part, and raise the back part of
the wrest-pin block; and further to counteract such effect, I pass a bolt of iron
of the diameter of three sixteenths, or thereabouts, of an inch through the
bar d, d, and through the sound board F, F, and bracket f, and I cut away
the sound board to about one eighth of an inch round the bolt, so that the
sound board may be free of the bolt; and at the lower end or shoulder of the
bolt I place a washer g, of about an inch diameter, and at the top of the bolt,
which terminates in a screw, I place a nut h, for the purpose of tightening the
bolt. I place the sound board at the distance of three inches and a half, or
thereabouts, below the strings, instead of at the distance of one inch, or there-
abouts, as in the usual present construction of horizontal pianofortes; and I
extend and bring forward the sound board to the length of two inches, or
thereabouts, towards the front of the pianoforte and under the vibrating por-
tion of the strings, and also partly under the wrest-pin block, in the manner
represented in the said Drawing. This extension of the sound board may be
carried throughout the whole length of the scale, but I prefer to confine such
extension to that part of the sound board only which is beneath the strings
of the notes comprizing the two last octaves in the treble, or as far only as
where the treble notes do not require dampers. And in order to effect the
action of the key upon the hammer O and damper G, when the sound board
is extended and depressed in manner above described, I place the damper
lever I between the sound board and the strings, and instead of cutting away
the bracket to admit the damper lever, as in the usual present construction
of horizontal pianofortes, I make the bracket straight from treble to bass;
I shorten the length of the key H, H, about two inches, and I fix on to the
end of key a piece of metal bent to form a right angle, as represented by the
letters T, T, in the said Drawing, to communicate the action of the key to
the damper lever I, I; and I carry the check P further back on the key,
nearer to the lever K, so as to be distant about one inch from the said lever;
and instead of checking the hammer O in the usual way, by clongation of the
hammer below the shank, I fit a check piece (y) on to the shank N, N, of the

page_text: hammer, about the middle of the length of the said shank; I also remove
the hammer rest, M, higher up the shank of the hammer, and I attach the
rack L to the hammer rest in the manner also represented in the Drawing;
and the advantages gained by such improved construction of horizontal-piano-
fortes, as herein-before described, are, that by the hammer striking the wire
in the direction towards or upon the bearing instead of from the bearing
as in the usual construction of pianofortes, a longer vibration of the wire and
a clearer and more perfect tone is produced; and, further, that by carrying
the wire round such pulley to the wrest-pin so placed in the front of the
pianoforte, I facilitate the operation of stringing the pianoforte; and, further,
that by such improved construction the length of the part. O between, the
head and shank of the hammer is enabled to be reduced from the length of
two inches, or thereabouts, to the length of one inch, and thereby, the imper-
fection of the blow arising from the elasticity of that part of the hammer,
which is thus enabled to be reduced, is remedied; and, further, that by such
extension and bringing forward of the sound board under the strings, a greater
vibration of the sound board is produced and additional strength given to the
tone, especially in the upper octaves.
And in such improved construction of horizontal pianofortes, I hereby
claim as my said Invention the following particulars, that is to say:The
improved construction of horizontal pianofortes herein-before described,
whereby I am enabled to pass the strings under or beneath the wrest-pin
block, at the same time that the strings are carried over or above the sound
board.
And I further claim as my said Invention, the carrying the strings round
such pulleys as and placed in manner aforesaid to the wrest-pins, and the
fixing the wrest-pins in the front side of the wrest-pin block, in 'manner
herein-before described. .
And. I further claim as my said Invention, such extension and bringing
forward of the sound board to the extent of two inches or thereabouts, as
herein-before described, under the strings and wrest-pin block.
And I further claim as my said Invention, the mode herein-before described
of counteracting by such .bolts, as also, herein-before described, the tendency
of the tension of the strings in this construction of pianofortes to depress the
front part and raise the back part.of the wrest-pin block.
And I further claim as my said Invention, the several alterations .herein-
before described in the position. and arrangement of. the.. damper lever, check-
piece, and hammer-rest, and also the reduction.of the length of the hammer
head, herein-before also described..

page_text: And such my Invention being, to the best of my knowledge and belief,
entirely new and never before used within that part of Her said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her said
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, I do hereby declare
this to be my Specification of the same, and that I do verily believe this my
said Specification doth comply in all respects, fully and without reserve or
disguise, with the proviso in the said herein-before in part recited Letters
Patent contained; wherefore I hereby claim to maintain exclusive right and
privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Godwin, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-one.
Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the
within-named John Godwin, in the
JOHN (L.S.) GODWIN.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-first day of August, in
the year of our Lord 1841, the aforesaid John Godwin came before our said
Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained and specified, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the
tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
Inrolled the Twenty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and forty-one.