MOVEABLE KEYS FOR PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND ALL' OTHER INSTRUMENTS WHICH ARE PERFORMED UPON BY KEYS
Year: 1801

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM' THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME; I, EDWARD'
RYLEY, of the Lordship of Myton; in the County of the Town of Kingston-
upon-Hull, Organ Builder and Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present Majesty King George the Third, in and by His
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-eighth day of
November, in the forty-second year of His reign, for Himself, His 'heirs
and successors, did give and grant unto me, the said Edward Ryley; His
especial licence; full power, sole privilege and authority, "that I, 'thes säil
Edward Ryley, my executors, administrators, and assigns, by myself and them-
selves, or by my or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
others as I, tlie said Edward Ryley, my executors, administrators, or assigns;
should at any time agree with; and no others, from time to time and at all
tiines during the term of years 'therein expressed; should' and lawfully miglit
make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of His said Majesty's Unitedi
Kingdom called England, the Dominion of Wales; and Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of MOVEABLE KEYS FOR PIANOFORTES, ORGANS, AND ALL'
OTHER INSTRUMENTS WHICH ARE PERFORMED UPON BY KEYS;" in which said 'Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso obliging me the said Edward Ryley, 'by
an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what männer' the same
is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within, one calendar months next, and. immediately
after the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and. by the same,
reference being thereto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Edward Ryley, do hereby describe and ascertain the nature of my said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by the Plan or
Drawing in the margin of these Presents, and as follows, that is to say:-
The scale of notes and keys in the said Drawing is a representation of the
semitones of the pianofortes, organs, harpsichords, spinnetts, and all instru-
ments played upon by keys, as now and heretofore made; the lower part of
which Drawing also represents the moveable keys, which are made as before,
with the addition of an octave, and a cavity left on both the treble and bass
sides of the instruments for the keys to slide under at either end at the
pleasure of the performer, by which means the most difficult composition may
be rendered perfectly easy and familiar, and transposed and played in the key
of C, without either flats or sharps. These moveable keys extend seven octaves,
and will move to the right or left the compass of an octave, so that middle C
on the moving keys, which is marked C, may be set to any one of the thirteen
semitones which are in the fixed scale of notes, that is to say, Number 1, 2, 3,
to 13; and these thirteen semitones, which are numbered, will answer for all
the different key notes in music. Now if middle C, on the moveable keys,
be set in a line with middle C, No. 6 on the fixed notes, then the pianoforte
is the same to be played upon as all others are, for by these keys moving
under all the semitones or wires, they strike upon any one of the notes which
is in a line with them or perpendicular over them. Suppose, for instance,
any piece of music wrote in the natural major key of C, and you wish to
transpose and play it in all the different major keys in music, this requires no
more art than to move the key C to each of the thirteen key notes, and
to play the same piece in the major key of C only, and you will have it
transposed throughout all the different major keys in music without the aid
of flats or sharps; as for example, set C to No. 9, E., and play the same
piece in the major key of C, as before, and you will hear the true tones of
E with three flats: or set C* to No. 12, Go, and play the same piece in C
major, and you will hear the tones of G major with six flats; and by the
same rule the natural minor key of A will do the same. This proves the
utility of the moveable-keys-and new mode of playing, which only requires the
aid of one major and one minor key, and points out a ready way to a new
mode and system..
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Ryley, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and one.
EDW RYLEY. (L.S.)

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Fifth day of December,
in the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Edward Ryley came before our
Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the Specification afore-
said, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute in that case made and provided.
Inrolled the Seventh day of December, in the year above written.