CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON PIANOFORTES AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Year: 1833

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JACOB
FREDERICK ZEITTER, of New Cavendish Street, Portland Street, in the County
of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing
date at Westminster, the First day of November, in the fourth year
of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter, His especial licence, that I,
the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such
others as I, the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter, 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 "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON PIANOFORTES
AND OTHER STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;" in which said Letters Patent is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, refe-
rence being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Jacob Frederick Zeitter; do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention

page_text: to consist in constructing the sounding board bars of pianofortes and other
stringed musical instruments of two or more pieces in such manner as
greatly to add to the strength and elasticity of the said bars without increasing
their size or weight, and whereby I am enabled to give a more brilliant tone to
the instrument, and to diminish the substance of the sounding board. And in
further compliance with the said proviso, I, the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter,
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:-
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a sounding board bar for a pianoforte constructed in the most
simple form on the principles of my said Invention; this bar is made of
two pieces A and B, the upper piece B being glued firmly down upon A.
Figure 2 is the next most simple form, the upper part being made of two
pieces B and C, meeting in the centre of the lower piece A, and glued down
firmly upon it in their whole length. Figure 3 is another form of bar on the
principle of my said Invention, and shews the manner in which that principle
may be carried to its greatest serviceable extent without proportionably adding
to the weight of the bar. In this Figure the bar is shewn composed of four
pieces glued together, A, B, C, and D, the parts B and C being glued upon A
only in part of their length from their outer ends, while their inner ends are
glued firmly upon the block D, on the thickness of which, if the relative
proportion of the bars to the block are preserved, will mainly depend the
extension of the principle of my said Invention, which principle is that of
glueing two or more pieces of wood together, these pieces of wood being so
shaped that their fibres shall form an inclination to each other in such manner
as to present a greater length of fibres towards the sounding board than
towards the opposite side, whereby the strength and elasticity of this combined
sounding board bar is made to result from the circumstance that its bending or
depression will cause a direct compression in the direction of the fibres of that
side of the bar presented to the sounding board, and a direct extension in the
direction of the fibres of its opposite side; but when applied to the harp,
the bar will be reversed so as to present the shorter length of fibres towards
the sounding board. Under each Figure is a cross section of the bar above it
taken through the centre; these bars are glued to the sounding board in the
same manner as the bars now in use.
Now whereas it is evident that bars formed on this principle may be applied
to all stringed musical instruments, the sounding boards of which require the

page_text: support of bars; and whereas I claim as my Invention such bars as are
herein-before described for the purposes of pianofortes and such other stringed
musical instruments as require the same, whether applied beneath or above
the sounding board (but if over the sounding board the bar must be applied
as described above for the harp). The bars being formed of two or more
pieces of wood glued together, and so shaped that their fibres shall form an
inclination to each other in such manner as to present a greater length of,
fibres towards the sounding board than towards the opposite side, whereby in
the first place I obtain greater strength and elasticity in the bars from the
same substance and weight of material, and am enabled in consequence to
make the sounding boards to which they are applied much thinner and lighter,
all which improvements greatly add to the brilliancy of the tone of the instru-
ment.
And such my Invention being to the best of my knowledge and belief
entirely new and never before used within that part of His said Majesty's
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, His 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 do hereby claim to maintain exclusive right
and privilege to my said Invention.
In witness whereof, I, the said Jacob Frederick Zeitter, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Thirtieth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-four.