CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ENGLISH FLUTE OR FLAGEOLET
Year: 1810

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
BAINBRIDGE, of the Parish of Saint Andrew, Holborn, in the City of London,
Musical Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third, did, by
His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-sixth day of
February, in the fiftieth year of His reign, give and grant unto me, the said
William Bainbridge, my exors, adññiors, and assigns, His especial licence,
full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said William Bainbridge,
my exors, admors, and assigns, 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 ON THE ENGLISH FLUTE OR FLAGEOLET;" in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William Bainbridge,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and scal, to cause a particular
description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be inrolled in His Majesty's High Court of
Chancery within two calendar months after the date of the said recited
Letters Patent, as in and by the same, relation being thereunto had, may
more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Bainbridge, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained as follows, that is to say :-
First, and principally, I do construct the English flute or flageolet in such
a manner, and with such proportions of the parts, that the upper joint or
mouth joint shall be the same or nearly the same as in other English flutes or
flageolets, as far as relates to the several parts by which the peculiar sound of
the instrument is produced, and that the other joints upon which the fingering
is performed shall be either the same, or nearly the same, as those of the German
flute, in order and to the effect that the English flute or flageolet so altered
and improved may and shall require the same fingering in performing as is
required to be used in performing on the German flute. And I do declare
that in order to produce the said last-mentioned effect in the most compleat
and perfect manner, it is necessary that the following directions should be
attended to (that is to say) :-
Let the upper joint, which is to be plugged, bo bored throughout regularly
from end to end, about one-eighteenth part of an inch wider than the upper
joint of a German flute of concert pitch, and let the other joints be turned
and bored, in the same manner as a good German flute, with, the additional
keys, or with one only, as may be required,, and let the, holing be the same,
except the third and fourth hole from the, top, which will be better if
made a very little smaller than, usual, because such construction will prevent
the G, and A from being too sharp. And whereas the F sharp is too flat on
most flutes, it is advisable to make the. fifth hole a very little larger than on
the German flute; and, moreover, I do declare that the upper joint of the
English flute or flageolet may be turned of the same thickness as that of
the German flute of the same pitch, and that in such and the said case the
distance from the centre of the plugged part to the centre of the uppermost
finger hole must be about nine inches and five-eighths, and that I do cut away
the back part of the plugg underneath about one inch deep, but do at the same
time leave that part of the plugg which covers the throat about the thickness
of three-sixteenths of an inch, but that the thickness or quantity to be cut from
the plug may be without difficulty regulated by a competent workman or
maker of these or the like instruments. And farther, that the breadth of the
plug hole of an English flute or flageolet, as before described, must be from
side to side about half an inch, and the distance from the bottom of the plug
to the wind cutter about three-sixteenths of an inch, and that the distance

page_text: from the hole out of which the sound issues, or the plugged hole, to the first
finger hole may be varied, and the same effect continue to be produced,
that is to say, if the plugged joint be turned of larger diameter, and plugged
according to the proportions herein-before given. the flute will be flatter, and,
consequently, the distance between hole and hole must be less, and so, on the
contrary, if the diameter or bore be sinaller, and the plugging the same, the
instrument will be sharper, and the distance from hole to hole must be greater;
and a like observation may be made with regard to the variation of the said
distance between hole and hole, if the plugged hole from which the sound
proceeds be made either larger or smaller, because the larger hole will give
the sharper pitch, and will require the said distance between hole and hole to
be greater, and, on the other hand, the smaller hole will give the flatter pitch,
and require the said distance to be less, the bore being supposed the same in
both cases.
And lastly, if the bore itself be varied as to the plug or upper
joint, the wider bore will be the flatter tone and require the holes to be nearer
together than would be required if the bore were narrower.
Secondly, I do make a small aperture about the size of a strong pin in the
said top joint, about two inches from the top hole of a concert flute or flageolet,
as herein-before described, and I do cover the said hole either with the thumb
or by means of a key for producing all notes below E on the fourth space, and
I do uncover the same for producing all notes above that E; by which means
the said last-mentioned notes are rendered more clear and certain.
declare that the said small aperture will produce the like effect if placed
within considerable limits, either higher or lower, but that the situation here
described is the best because it makes very little difference of pitch in the
notes above C.
And I do
Thirdly, in order to construct flutes of various sizes with the improvements
herein-before described, in the best manner, the following instructions must be
attended to:-
(1.) For the octave, let the upper joint be bored about the thickness of a
piece of paper wider than the German flute of that size, and from the top
finger hole to the sound hole, or centre of plug hole, when turned the same as
an octave German flute, the distance must be about four inches and an half,
and the breadth of the plug hole about five-sixteenths of an inch, and from the
bottom of the plug to the wind cutter about one-eighth of an inch, and the
back of the plug must be cut away, as in the large size, about half an inch,
leaving the surface of the plug in thickness about one-eighth of an inch, and
the said small-sized flute may be constructed either with or without the aperture

page_text: herein before described and made for rendering the upper notes more clear
and certain.
(2.) For the C flute, or one size larger than the octave, the distance from
plug hole to finger. hole must be five inches, breadth of plug hole five-
sixteenths, and from the bottom of the plug to the wind cutter about one-
eighth of an inch, the plug being cut away underneath as before.
(3.) For the B flute, from plug hole to finger hole five inches and seven-
eighths, breadth of plug hole nearly three-eighths, from plug to wind cutter
one-eighth, and the plug cut underneath as before.
(4.) For the A flute, from plug hole to finger hole six inches and three-
eighths, breadth of plug hole nearly three-eighths, from plug to wind cutter full
one-eighth, and the plug cut under as before.
(5.) For the G flute, from plug hole to finger hole seven inches, breadth
of plug full three-eighths, from plug to wind cutter full one-eighth, and the
plug cut underneath as before.
(6.) For the F flute, from plug hole to finger hole seven inches and five-
eighths, breadth of plug hole seven-sixteenths, from plug to wind cutter three-
sixteenths, plug cut underneath as before.
(7.) For the E flute, from plug to finger hole eight inches and an half,
breadth of plug hole near half an inch, from plug hole to wind cutter three-
sixteenths, plug cut underneath as before; and smaller or larger flutes may be
made conformably to the said instructions, and all the several sizes must be
turned, bored, and holed in the same manner as a German flute or picolo,
either with one key or more, according to the respective sizes, except the
F, G, G, A, which are better if made a little flatter.
Fourthly and lastly, I do apply to English flutes or flageolets, constructed
with the improvements herein-before described, a key for producing the half
tones, for which His Majesty was pleased to grant unto me the sole privilege
and use, by certain Letters Patent, bearing date on or about the Fourteenth
day of May, in the forty-seventh year of His reign; and I do either make the
aperture for blowing the said English flute or flageolet at the end or at the
side of the upper joint or piece, and with a projecting mouthpiece or without,
and I do in the case of making the aperture in the side so dispose of the tail
of the before-mentioned key for producing the half tones as that the same
shall or may be pressed by the lips during the time of performance when
required, and I do consider the said placing or disposing of the said tail in
order to produce the effect by means of the lips as here described to be one of
the said improvements which constitutes the invention for which His Majesty'

page_text: hath granted me the herein-before first recited Letters Patent, and I do
declare that my said improvements may be used together or separately, or any
two or more of them together in any such manner as shall be found advan-
tageous or desirable in the use of the said English flute or flageolet.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Bainbridge, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and ten.
WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. (L.S.)
WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE. (L.S.)
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Twenty-sixth day of April, in
O the year of our Lord 1810, the aforesaid William Bainbridge came before our
said Lord the King in Ilis 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 stampt according
to the tenor of the Statutes made for that purpose.
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