AN ENTIRE NEW IMPROVEMENT UPON THE SEVERAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CALLED PIANOFORTES AND HARPSICHORDS
Year: 1792

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
DAVIS, of Tottenham Court Road, in the Parish of Saint Pancras, in the
County of Middlesex, Organ Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Sixth day of June, in the thirty-second year of His reign,
did give and grant unto me, the said James Davis, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole priviledge and authority, that
I, the said James Davis, my executors, administrators, and assigns, during the
term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of
Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "AN ENTIRE NEW
IMPROVEMENT UPON THE SEVERAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS CALLED PIANOFORTES AND
HARPSICHORDS;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said James Davis, particularly to 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 to cause the same to be
inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of Chancery within one calendar month
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, as by the said
Letters Patent, referrence being thereunto had, may more fully appear.
NOW KNOW YEE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
James Davis, do hereby declare, that the nature of my said Invention, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, is particularly described and
ascertained in the several Plans or Drawings marked respectively Figure 1,

page_text: Figure 2, Figure 3, and Figure 4, hereunto annexed, and in the several
explanations or descriptions hereunder written and partly referring thereto.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Davies, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Fifth day of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and ninety-two.
The Improvements upon the pianoforte and harpsichord consist in combining
both those instruments together, and in having them nearly in the sanio
compass as one. The pianoforte has one row of keys for its own action, and
the harpsichord has also one row of keys for its own action. The upper row
of keys is for the pianoforte, and the under row of keys is for the harpsichord,
so that, when a person plays either of these rows, he plays either a completo
pianoforte, or a complete harpsichord.
A description of Figure 1 hereunto annexed.-A, B, C, D, E, and F, represent
the side view of the combined instruments, the case of which is made of wood.
G is one of the keys of the pianoforte. H is the upright leaver. I is one
of the hammers, and cach of which has a piece of leather glued upon it, where
the aforesaid leaver strikes. K is the head of the hammers, each of which is
also leathered, and when struck with its velocity against the strings, produces
the tone. L is the center of one of the hammers, each of which is pushed
with a piece of hat of a woolley substance, so as to prevent its ratling or
sticking. M is a piece of wier, which is screwed into the aforesaid key, and
leathered at the top, so as to break the full of the hammers when struck.
N is a piece of brass which is screwed over the centers of all the hammers so
as to keep them in their proper places. O is a piece of wood that goes across
the instrument, and to which all the hammers are hung. P is the screw which
regulates the aforesaid leaver, and screws against a thin piece of wood which
is leathered at the top end, and is fastened at the bottom end to the aforesaid
piece of wood marked O. Qis another piece of wood which also goes across the
instrument, and is covered with cloth, and upon which the hammers rest when
not in action; there is one hammer belonging to each key of the pianoforte.
R and S are two pieces of iron which fasten the pianoforte action to the key-
frame. T is one of the dampers for the pianoforte and harpsichord, and which
is connected with both of the aforesaid rows of keys. a and b is an iron
movement which goes across the instrument, and by which the aforesaid
dampers are lifted up by a notch in them, and such movement is connected by
a horizontal lever and with the pedle of the instrument. c is an iron roller,
with two arms which connects the aforesaid action together. d is the pedle.
c, f, and g is a steel arch in two parts, the upper part of which takes off by a
scrow at each end. There are three of these arches represented in the hori-

page_text: zontal Plan and Drawing of the instrument, and which arches are therein
marked e, f, and g. is the three smallest strings which the pianoforte hammers
strike against. i, k, and are the three first pins to which the strings are
fastened. There are three of the aforesaid strings and pins to each key, all
which are placed in the aforesaid manner. m is the belly of the instrument.
n is the bridge upon which the strings rest. o is the hook bar. p is the bridge
which goes across the instrument, and is lined with soft cloth over the dampers
and jacks, so as to prevent their rattling when in action. 9 is one of the
harpsichord keys. r, r, are two of the harpsichord jacks, all which are acted.
by the last-mentioned keys, and in each of which there is a small tongue, which
has a mortice, and wherein is placed a piece of leather or quill, or something
of a soft substance, which strikes against the strings and produces the tone.
s is the bottom end of one of the dampers, all which act with the last-mentioned
keys. A and B represent the stand of the instrument and the pedle for the
right foot, which pedle by a lever lifts up the dampers of the pianoforte and
harpsichord. There is another pedle placed in the like manner for the left
foot, and which by another lever removes the pianoforte keys so that the instru-
inent can either be played piano or forte.
A description of Figure Two, hereunto annexed.-This Figure represents the
horizontal Plan or Drawing of the iron roller, which has two arms, and acts the
pianoforte keys.
A description of Figure 3, hereunto annexed.-This Figure represents the
side view of the last-mentioned iron roller, and also the side of the key frame,
and likewise the top end of the stand of the instrument.
A description of Figure 4, hereunto annexed.-U, V, W, X, Y, and Z,
represent the horizontal view of the combined instruments; A and B are the
pianoforte keys; C and D are the harpsichord keys; E and F are the two
stops of the harpsichords; G & H are the two blocks, and to which the
aforesaid stops are fixed by a screw; I and K are the ends of the same stops,
each of which are fixed to the socketts by a screw; L and M are the two
socketts of the harpsichord, and which goes across the instrument; N and O
are two of the mortices through which the jacks act; there is the same
number of mortices in each sockett as there are keys in the harpsichord;
P and Q are the upper ends of two of the jacks, all which jacks are placed
alike across the instrument for the keys of the harpsichord, and act through
the aforesaid mortice; R. is a socket for the dampers of the pianoforte and
harpsichord, and which goes across the instrument in the same manner as the
aforesaid sockets; S is one of the mortices for one of the dampers, and through
which it acts, and there is one mortice and one damper for every one of the

page_text: aforesaid pianoforte keys, and which act upon the pianoforte and also upon
the harpsichord equally; T is the top end of one of the dampers, which has
picces of cloth and leather glued to the side of it, and lays upon a the strings to
prevent the vibration thereof when not in action, either for the pianoforte or
harpsichord; U and V are the large bridges, and upon which the strings
lay; W and X are the small bridges, and upon which the strings also lay.
There are three strings to each key of the pianoforte, and upon two of which
strings the harpsichord jacks also strike; and upon making the instrument a
little larger than according to the scale hereafter mentioned, another row of
strings may be added thereto, by* an octavo in the harpsichord may be
played. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, and i, represent the manner in which some of the
aforesaid strings are placed, and the remainder of such strings are placed in
the same manner in the intervals as those represented. The compassed or
number of the keys of the aforesaid combined instruments may be made either
more or less upon the aforesaid construction.
All the Plans or Drawings hereunto annexed are made to a scale of four
funt