CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES;
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
STATHAM, of Sidney Street, City Road, in the County of Middlesex, Piano-
forte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twentieth day of November, in the fifteenth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Thomas Statham, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege
and authority, that I, the said Thomas Statham, my exors, adññiors, and
assigns, and such others as I, the said Thomas Statham, my exors,
adiñors, 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 mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS
IN PIANOFORTES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso, obliging
me, the said Thomas Statham, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, particularly to describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, and to cause the
same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six
calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said in part
recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Thomas Statham, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,

page_text: and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference being
had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked
thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention of "Certain Improvements in Pianofortes" has for its object,
the adaptation and application of a new form of metallic stop or stops to the
wrest plank, and also to the sounding board, for the purpose of relieving the
sounding board from the pressure from the strings to which it has heretofore
been liable. The sounding board is relieved from this pressure by means of
the particular form of the stop or stops, by which the string is maintained in
greater uniformity of tension between the points of suspension, and constantly
drawn in a direction parallel to the surface of the sounding board, as herein-
after described.
This metallic stop is formed with one bearing or bearings for the string to
rest against when struck by the hammer on the sounding of a note, and
another bearing or bearings for the string to rest against in the opposite
direction. In this manner the string is supplied with a balanced metallic rest
or rests at each end of its vibrating or sounding length, by which the string is
sufficiently raised from the parts to which the stop is applied, to give full
liberty for its adequate vibration when struck by the hammer.
One series of metallic stops so formed are adapted and applied by means of
screws, or in any other convenient manner, to the wrest plank, in order to
hold one end of the vibrating or sounding length of the series of strings; and
another series of corresponding stops are in like manner applied to the
sounding board, in order to hold the other end of the same series of strings.
The strings are extended beyond the stops, and secured by wrest pins at each
end.
And it is to be observed that as the strings are confined more securely
than heretofore between the rests or bearings of the stops, they are proportion-
ately less dependent upon the rest pins for maintaining them in tension, but
it is also to be noted that the strings are drawn in tension at each end
separately by the wrest pins, as herein-after described, and thereby the
ordinary tendency of the strings to press upon the sounding board is obviated
by drawing the strings at each end through the rigid metalic bearings in the
stops, causing the said strings to be constantly drawn in a direction parallel
to the surface of the sounding board, as herein after described.
In order, however, that my improved stop and its adaptation and application
to pianofortes may be more fully understood, I will, by the aid of the accom-
panying Drawing, describe the same more in detail.

page_text: Figure 1 is a representation, full size, of the two stops required for cach
note, the full length of the string, however, being omitted, to save space in the
Drawing. The stop marked "a" is intended to be applied to the wrest plank,
and the stop marked "b" to the sounding board. This Figure shews the
stops as they would appear if viewed from a position in front of an upright
pianoforte, or in looking down upon the strings of a horizontal pianoforte to
which they were applied. Figure 2 is a vertical section of the same stops,
shewing the rests or bearings for the strings "c," consisting of the two
shoulders "d" and "e" in the one direction, and the pin "f" in the opposite
direction, the shoulders forming the rest or bearing against the blow of the
hammer on the striking of a note, and the pin "f" balancing the pressure
occasioned by the reaction of the string. The string "c" is extended in each
direction to the wrest pins "g', g'," and "g, g." The pins "g', '," for the
end of the string at the wrest plank are formed as usual, and those marke
"g, g," for the end of the string at the sounding board or the ordinary "bent
side" of the instrument are formed similar to the pins "g', g'," so that the
string may be drawn into suitable tension from both ends, instead of at one
end only, as usual, and the string remains straight throughout in the
direction shewn in Figure 1; and in case it should be found necessary, I fix
a rest, as at "," Figure 2, to preserve the parallelism of the string with the
surface of the sounding board. The stops "a" and "b" may be applied
directly (if preferred) to the wrest plank and also to the sounding board with-
out the ordinary "bridge," or other similar contrivance to keep the string at
its proper distance from the sounding board, the string being raised sufficiently
for this purpose by resting against the shoulders "d and "e." Thus, it will
be seen that the sounding board will be relieved from the ordinary pressure of
the string by the latter being held firmly by the stops "a" and "b," and fixed
by the wrest pins "g', g'," and "g, g," as above described.
I have so far described the general adaptation of this form of stop to the
string of the pianoforte, but it is necessary to mention that in applying the
stop to the several strings of an instrument, the form or arrangement of
the parts of the said stop require to be adapted to the different sizes of the
strings. This provision may be made in various ways, but I will suggest
the mode which I prefer.
In manufacturing the stops for the whole range of strings, I make the
several stops for the strings of the smallest wire with the shoulders "d" and
"e" of the required degree of projection from the face plate "h" of the stop.
I then diminish such degree of projection according to the increasing sizes of

page_text: the strings, care having been taken, in the first instance, to make the stop of
such form as to admit of this diminution of the said projection, without thereby
bringing any of the strings too near to the sounding-board. I do not, however,
confine myself to this mode of adapting the stops to the varying sizes of
the strings.
Figures 3 and 4 represent a modified form of stop containing two pins "i"
and "j" to bear the pressure of the string in one direction, and a shoulder
"k" to bear the pressure in the opposite direction. This form of stop may, if
preferred, be substituted for that above described, and I would here remark,
that for the treble strings I prefer the combination of this form of stop with
that above described. In such case I fix this latter form of stop at the end of
the string further from the hammer. A string or strings then adjusted with
this combination of stops would rest against a shoulder "e" at the part to be
struck by the hammer and against the pin "i" in the opposite direction.
It will be evident, however, that in both these forms of my improved stop,
the parts sustain a similar function (videlicit), that of holding the string firmly
in rests or bearings, against which the string presses in opposite directions,
and thereby relieving the sounding board from the pressure to which it has
heretofore been liable. And this is the same when a combination of the two
forms is adopted, the advantage of such combination for the treble strings
being that there is a probability of the sharpness and clearness of the note of
such strings being increased by the string being pressed upon by the pin "h,"
whilst it is struck by the hammer against the rest or shoulder "e," instead of
resting in the same direction against another similar shoulder as above described.
There are also certain other variations as to details which may be required in
adapting these stops to pianofortes of particular construction, but under
all such variations the stop in its essential features will remain the same as
above described. I will here, for instance, mention, that, in adapting and
applying my improved stop or stops to horizontal pianofortes, it may be used
in the form or forms represented and described throughout the whole instru
ment if applied to an inverted wrest plank; but, if the stop is required to be
applied to a non-inverted wrest plank, 1 then prefer to use in the high treble
notes the form of stop represented at Figure 5. In this stop, the shoulder or
projection next the hammer is so formed as to admit of the hammer striking
very close to the bearing point of the string or strings at "e" instead of further
removed, as by the form of stop before described and represented. It will be
seen on reference to Figure 5, that the strings pass through holes formed in
the shoulder or projecting piece at "e".

page_text: I proceed now to describe a modification of my improved stop, in which the
strings have a balanced metallic rest or rests, taking the pressure of the strings
in a different direction from that above described, and in doing so I would
refer to the foregoing description of the former stops in their adaptation and
application to the wrest plank, and also to the sounding-board, for the purpose
of relieving the latter from pressure, as describing the main object and purpose
of the stop now to be described.
This modified form of stop is shewn at Figures 6 and 7; it consists of a
face plate "h" with two projecting pieces "1" and "m," in which holes are
drilled or bored for the passage of the string or strings, and a piece "n" (shewn
detached at Figure 8) having a projection "o" formed in it, such projecting
picce "o" having holes drilled or bored in it, also for the passage of the
string or strings.
The position of the holes in the two projecting pieces "1" and "m"
corresponds with the line of direction of the string, and those in the projecting
piece "o are placed so as to cause a deviation from such line, so that the
string may have its balanced rest in the direction across and parallel to the
sounding board (that is to say), the string is now kept from pressing against
the sounding board in the part where it is applied thereto by having its pressure
taken by the balanced rest or rests "1," "m," "o," this result having been
produced in the former instance by the balanced rest or rests "d," "e," "f,"
(Figures 1 and 2) and "," "j," "k," (Figures 3 and 4).
The string "c" is then in the present instance straight throughout in the
direction shewn at Figure 7, and bent only in the direction shewn at
Figure 6.
The stops as above described (with the exception of that represented at
Figure 5,) may be adapted and applied both to vertical and horizontal piano-
fortes, and are capable of producing in both the effect of giving relief to the
sounding board in the way described.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, I would have it understood that I do not
mean or intend to confine myself to the precise forms of the parts shewn and
described, neither do I claim as of my Invention any of the parts of pianofortes
herein-before referred to and described, except so far as they are used in
combination with my improved stop, as described; but what I do claim as of
my Invention, is, first, the peculiarly formed stop or stops (Figures 1 to 5)
herein-before described, adapted and applied to the wrest plank, and also to
the sounding board for the purpose of maintaining a greater uniformity of

page_text: tension in the string, and relieving the sounding board from pressure by the
string, as described.
And, secondly, the peculiarly formed stop or stops (Figures 6 and
herein-
before described, similarly adapted and applied for the same purpose as
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Statham, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twentieth day of May, in the year
of our Lord 1852, the aforesaid Thomas Statham came before our said Lady
the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification aforesaid,
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.
Enrolled the Twentieth day of May, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-two.