NEW CONSTRUCTED PIANO FORTE, WHIS 18 FAR SUPERIOR TO ANY INSTRUMENT OF THE KIND HERETOFORE DISCOVERED
Year: 1783

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, JOHN
BROADWOOD, of Great Pultney Street, Golden Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Harpsicord and Piano Forte Maker, sends greeting.
WHEREAS the King's most Excellent Majesty, by Letters Patent under
the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date the Seventeenth day of July
last, gave and granted unto the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, and
assigns, His especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that he,
the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, and assigns, by himself or them-
selves, or by his or their deputy or deputies, servants or agents, or such
other person or persons as he, the said John Broadwood, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term of years therein and herein after expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, and exercise and vend his "NEW CONSTRUCTED PIANO FORTE, WHIS
18 FAR SUPERIOR TO ANY INSTRUMENT OF THE KIND HERETOFORE DISCOVERED," within
that part of Great Britain called England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in such manner as to him, the said John Broadwood,
his exors, admors, and assigns, or any of them, should in their discretion seem
meet, and that he, the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, and assigns,
should and lawfully might have and enjoy the whole profit, benefit, commodity,
and advantage from time to time coming, accruing, or arising, by reason of
the said new Invention, for and during the term of years therein and herein-
after expressed, to have and to hold, exercise, and enjoy the said licence,
powers, priviledges, and advantages herein-before mentioned to be granted

page_text: unto the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, and assigns, of the sole
use, exercise, and vending of his said new Constructed Piano Fort, which is
far superior to any Instrument of the kind heretofore Discovered, for and
during and unto the full end and term of fourteen years from the date of the
said Letters Patent next and immediately ensuing, and fully to be compleat
and ended, according to the Statute in such case made and provided; His
Majesty in such Letters Patent thereby commanding all and every person or
persons, bodies politic or corporate, and all other His Majestie's subjects what-
soever, of what estate, quality, degree, name, or condition soever, they being
within that part of His Majestie's said Kingdom of Great Britain called
England, His Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, that
neither they or any of them at any time during the continuance of the said
term of fourteen years thereby granted, either directly or indirectly, do make,
use, or put in practice the said Invention, or any part of the same, so attained
unto the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, and assigns as aforesaid,
nor in anywise counterfit, imitate, or resemble the same, nor make or cause
to be made any addition thereunto or substraction from the same, whereby to
pretend himself or themselves the inventor or inventors, devisor or devisors,
thereof without the licence, consent, or agreement of the said John Broadwood,
his exors, admors, or assigns, in writing under his or their hands and seals,
first had and obtained in that behalf, upon such pains or penalties as can or
may be justly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of His Majestie's
said Royal Command, and further to be answerable to the said John Broad-
wood, his exors, adñiors, and assigns, according to law, for his or their damages
occasioned thereby; in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that
if the said John Broadwood, his exors, admors, or assigns, or any other
person or persons, which shall or may at any time hereafter during the con-
tinuance of the said grant, have or claim any right, title, or interest at law or
in equity of, in, or to the power, priviledge, or authority of the sole use and
benefit of the said Invention, should make any transfer or assignment, or any
pretended transfer or assignment, of the said liberty or priviledge, or any
share or shares of the benefit or profit thereof, to or for any number of persons
exceeding the number of five, and also, that if the said John Broadwood shall
not particularly describe and ascertain the nature of his said new-constructed
Piano Forte, which is far superior to any instrument of the kind heretofore
made, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument
in writing under his hand and seal, and cause the same to be inrolled in His
Majestie's High Court of Chancery within four calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said Royal Letters Patent, that then the

page_text: said Royal Letters Patent, and all liberties and advantages whatsoever thereby
granted, should cease, determine, and become void, anything therein contained.
to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Broadwood, in pursuance of and
in compliance with the said proviso in the said recited Royal Letters Patent
contained, do by this present Instrument declare that the nature of my said
Invention or New Constructed Piano Forte, which is far superior to any
Instrument of the kind heretofore made, and the manner in which the same is
to be used and performed, is described and ascertained in the Plans, Drawings,
and explanations or referrences thereto hereunto annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Broadwood, have hereunto subscribed
my name and affixed my seal, the Fifteenth day of November, in the
twenty-fourth year of the reign of His Majesty George the Third, by
the grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King,
Defender of the Faith, and so forth, and in the year of our Lord
One thousand seven hundred and eighty-three.
stampt, in the presence of
WILL WALKER.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of November,
in the year of our Lord 1783, the aforesaid John Broadwood came before
our said Lord the King in His 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.
An INDEX to the PLAN or DRAWING hereunto annext, and which is referred
.
to as the SPECIFICATION of JOHN BROADWOOD.
Figr. 1. a, a, are the rist pins to which the strings are fixt and tuned,
and differs from the common piano forte by being placed on the left end of
the instrument, which is a very great advantage, as it gives room to fix the
strings without being crowded on one another, which otherwise make
great

page_text: jarring on the said rist pins when placed on the right hand of the instrument,
& also gives a more regular pressure on the bridges, and produces a more
regular tone.
Figr. 2. a, a, are the hammers which strike the strings, as explained in
Figure 6 hereafter mentioned. b, b, are the dampers, which also is fixt under
the strings, which differ in form and principle from any others heretofore
made, which said hammers and dampers are more fully described in Figure 6
herein-after mentioned.
Figr. 8. a, a, is a mahogany rail in which the dampers are fixt.
Figr. 4. a, a, a, a, are the keys, into which a piece of brass wire is
screwed, with two heads of leather, which form a laver, the one to force the
hammer against the strings, and the other to move the damper off, at the
same time when play'd on with the fingers.
Figr. 5. a, a, a, a, is a sordin or mute that lays over the strings, which,
being lined with soft leather, hair, or silk shagg, produces a softer tone, and
is fix'd with hinges to the inside of the instrument, and at (6) lays on a piece
of brass wire, communicated to a spring fixt on the bottom of the instrument,
which is moved by a pedal with the foot.
Figr. 6 is a compleat section of the movements of the said hammers and
dampers (in Figure 2 aforesaid), viz:-a, a, is the hammer, as in Figure 2,
before referred to. b, b, is the damper, as in Figure 2, which differs from
those in the common piano forte, being moved by the laver (e, d, Figure 6)
(instead of the end of the damper laying on the top of the key as formerly,
which causes a great deal of friction and noise, and is more liable to be out of
order). The said improvement causes a much less friction and an easier
touch to the performer. c is the laver, which is screwed into the key for the
purpose aforesaid. d is a leather head, which moves the damper off the
strings by the touch of the key. e is likewise a leather head, which forces the
hammer against the strings by the same touch of the key. f is a rail into
which the dampers are fixt. g is the key which forces the hammers against the
strings, and moves the dampers off at the same time. h is the key frame
on which the keys are laid. i, i, is the ballance rail which lies under the keys,
into which the steady pins are fixt. k is the end of the movement hereunder
described in Figure 7.
Fig. 7 is a movement which moves the dampers off the strings by means $
of a pedal fixt on the frame. a, a, is a movement fixt on the rail (f, in
Figure 2), and described in Figure 6, with two brass hinges, as at b, b. b, b, are
the said brass hinges for the sd movement. c is a wire fixt in the movement,
and goes through the bottom of the instrument to a laver fixt on the frame.

page_text: d is the laver as fixt on the top rail of the frame. is the wire fixt to the
said laver and pedal, which pedal being forced down by the foot forces up the
movement against the dampers.
Figr. 8 is a sounding post that communicates the sound to a sounding
.board of the same thickness and quality as that on which the bridge is fixt,
and is placed withinside the instrument about an inch above the bottom
thereof, which produces a much stronger tone, and is the most essential part of
the said improvements on the said instrument.
;