CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS UPON PIANOFORTES, LARGE AND SMALL, AND UPON HARPS
Year: 1808

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SEBASTIAN
ERARD, of Great Marlborough Street, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Third did,
by Ilis Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Twenty-fourth
day of September, in the forty-eighth year of His reign, give and grant
unto me, the said Sebastian Erard, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, His
especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that I, the said
Sebastian Erard, my exors, aduiors, 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 UPON PIANOFORTES, LARGE AND SMALL,
AND UPON HARPS;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Sebastian Erard, by an instrument in writing under my
hand and seal, 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 said Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six 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.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Sebastian Erard, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and

page_text: the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly described
and ascertained as follows, that is to say :-
In the Drawings hereunto annexed, and figured 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, the
same letters of the alphabet everywhere denote the same things.
Fig. 1 shews the neck or upper curved part of the harp, of about two
thirds of the dimensions of those harps which are most commonly made (there
being no fixed scale for the dimensions of harps or the parts thereof). The
upper or longest string which produces the gravest or flattest tone is denoted
by the letters a, b, c, d, where a represents the tuning pin; and b, the bridge
pin; and c, the centre or axis of my newly-invented apparatus for stopping the
string, either to give the natural note of the series to which the string is
tuned, or the next semitone above on the sharp note designated by the same
musical letter or character which shall or may have been appropriated to the
said string; and d denotes the lower part of the said string, supposed to be
continued downwards to the body of the instrument. And the other strings
being designed in the like manner in the said Drawing, I have not thought it
needful to refer to the same by any letters of the alphabet at No. 1, No. 2,
and No. 3, upon the said Fig. 1. The external part of my said last-mentioned
apparatus is shown in the three positions required for the purpose of altering
the tone of the string to which the same shall be applied as before men-
tioned, and the construction, operation, and effect thereof are more clearly
shewn by means of the Drawings in Fig. 3, hereafter to be explained.
Fig. 2 shews an apparatus to be duly fixed within the neck of the harp,
for the purpose of giving the requisite motion at one and the same time to the
axis c of the stopping apparatus applied to all the strings of any one and the
same note or denomination, in order that the whole of any such notes may be
rendered flat, sharp, or natural at once, as may be required. The letter r
denotes a wire passing upwards through the pillar from a pedal beneath, and
whenever the pedal is passed down the arm S of the piece s, t, v, is drawn
downwards, and the centers or axis c are all moved at once, as is manifest from
the construction of the crank pieces W and the arms q, all which are connected
by thin plates or bars of metal.
No. 1, in Fig. 3, shews the string as already explained, supported by its
bridge pin 6, and not touched by any other parts of the apparatus, and in
this state it will give the flat note; upon the center or axis c is fixed (by
the means shewn at No. 4, or otherwise) a lever with two arms c, f, g, of
which the extremity 9 carries a pin f, shewn in No. 4, capable of being thrown
by the rotation upon c, into contact with the string, and the other extremity of
the said lever also carries a like pin c, and at g is a screw or pin through

page_text: which the wire m is tapped, and the said wire is capable of an angular motion
with respect to the lever f, e, because the said screw or pin at g can be turned
backward or forward in its socket or place. And further, the said wire m is
tapped through h, another screw or pin passing through the extremity of a
bended lever h, i, k, moveable on i, and the purpose of the last-mentioned
screw or pin is also to allow the wire m to take any angular motion or
position with respect to the lever h, i, k; and the said wire m hath the outer
parts thereof tapped with contrary inclinations of the screws (called right-hand
and left), by means whereof the distance or interval between 9 and h can be
altered and adjusted, simply by taking hold of the middle of the said wire and
turning the same round in the proper quantity and direction; and at k is a rising
part capable of being made to bear against the string by the motion of h, i, k;
and upon the smaller springs I put or fix a pin, as in Fig. 1, No. 4, instead of
the said rising part, and I do in the said smaller strings, where convenience may
require, apply the lever h, i, k, upon the bridge pin as a center, as there shewn ;
and the effect of the said apparatus is, first (as in No. 1), the tone remains flnt
as aforesaid; and, secondly (as in No. 2), by a rotation produced in c by the
pedal (as explained in Fig. 3), the pin f is brought into contact with the
string, and the contact is rendered firm and effectual by a counter pressuro
produced at by the mediation of the wire m upon the lever h, i, k, and the
string being thus shortened and pressed (by an action precisely adjusted by
the wire m) is made to give the natural note; and, thirdly (as in No. 3), by
a farther rotation of c, produced as aforesaid, the pin e is also brought into
effectual contact with the string, while the pressure at k is rendered less, and
the string is thus further shortened, and made to give the sharp note; and
every one of the strings is thus fitted up, and all the octaves thereof connected
together, as is herein-before shewn; and with each series of octaves is con-
nected a wire passing through the pillar of the instrument, and fastened to
an appropriate pedal in the bottom, as represented in Fig. 4, and each of the
said pedals may be correctly secured in its place when depressed by the foot
by being moved sideways into a notch, as shewn at y, z, and &, and at y, y,,,
and &, &, in Fig. 5, and the return or rise of the pedal into the situations
from which the same may have been depressed is effected by the reaction of
one or more springs acting upon one of the arbors or axis c as may be most
convenient, and as is shewn at No. 5, 6, and 7, Fig. 3, when n is the frame to
which the inner ends of the springs are pinned or fixed; and p, p, is a double
lever fixed on the arbor, and also to the outer extremities of the springs; and
the said return is assisted by a similar spring applied to the swell pedal, as
shewn in Fig. 4, and in the plan and section beneath the same.

page_text: And I do further declare that my said Invention, as far as the same cloth
bear relation to pianofortes, large and small, is set forth in the Drawings,
Fig. 6, of about half the real size, and described as follows:-
A, C, Fig. 6, represents the key of a pianoforte, moveable upon the fulcrum
or pin B, and acting upon a second lever C, I, which last hath its point or
fulcrum at D attached to the fixed piece E, and on the same fixed piece is
situated the supports for the motion of the hammer N, O, P, which by its rise
strikes the wire or spring R, S. M, F, G, W, is a lever standing upon the
extremity of C, I. Its sides F, F, are thin plates, as shewn in No. 2, by the
same letters of the alphabet to the same parts, so that the tail N of the
hammer passes through its upper parts, and is subject to the action of the
small round connecting bars M and L at the termination of the fork-shaped
ends of the side bars F, F. The center G is duly placed, and adjusted by
the small screw I, which carries the socket piece in which the pin thereof
turns, and the spring H gives a gentle tendency in the lever F, G, to move
or press towards O. The piece K is an adjusting screw with a bearing
part, which serves to produce a small motion in the contrary direction
in F, G, when I is depressed by the action of the finger at A. And
lastly, the face of the hammer tail, upon which the part L is made to act,
is sloped from the place of action outwards from the fulcrum of the hammer,
so that by virtue of that slope and of the altered position of the hammer tail
when depressed, the hold at L is very nearly destroyed, and the hammer left at
liberty to recoil after the stroke; and the action or effect of the said apparatus
is as follows: When (as described in the Figure) the key A is up, and also I
and L, and L is kept forward towards O by the fender spring II, the hold upon
the hammer tail is direct and upon pressing A the point I descends and the
hammer flies up; but at the instant the string has received the blow the
hammer being thrown back by the recoil causes L to recede, and this effect
is rendered extremely easy by the very oblique action of L at that instant upon
the hammer tail, and the farther assistance afforded by the lift at K. But
again, when the point A is suffered to rise (even through a very small space),
the piece L will advance and recover its hold, and by that means afford the
power of giving repeated strokes without missing or failure, by very small
angular motions of the key itself, which is an advantage of such magnitude
and singularity as will not require to be farther explained or pointed out to the
artists and performers of or upon the said instrument.
In No. 3 is exhibited a different construction of the lever M, F, G, M, in which
the same letters denote the same things, and consequently no farther explana-
tion is needful for understanding the same. This last construction is in some

page_text: respects more convenient for the workman. No. 4 shews an improved damper
particularly advantageous in its application to the lower strings, of which the
vibration is strong and powerful. A represents the common damper, which in its
descent falls or rests upon the tail B of a lever moveable on the joint or fulcrum
D, and by that means raising (with the assistance, if need be, of the small spring
beneath) the second damper C, and by that means effectually stops all sound
from the spring against which the said dampers are to be applied. The upper
delineations represent the plan and the lower with the same letters represent
the vertical sections of the same parts and things. No. 5 represents an
apparatus for producing a tone in the strings of the instrument which is
very pleasing and resembles that of the harp. The strings G are kept in
their situation by passing beneath the inverted or reversed bridge A, and near
that bridge is placed a face of leather B, moveable at the extremity of a lever
or wire curled into a spring of a few turns at C. The letter D represents a
small loop of leather fastened to the instrument at D, but capable of rising and
falling at the looped extremity thereof along with the wire which passes through
the same.
E, F, represents a piece or stop consisting of a number of inclined
faces or wedges, which, being connected in a line, may be slided all at once under
the levers or wires B, C, belonging to the whole series of strings throughout
the instrument, and when so slided will raise all the pieces B, and give the
strings the property of affording the harp tone so long as the said pieces shall
be kept in the said situation. No. 6 represents an apparatus by which the
tone of the instrument is rendered particularly soft. A is a piece of wood or
other fit material extending across the instrument, and B are certain small
pieces of leather glued above and beneath a thin slip or projecting arm, so as
to project beyond the same, and to remain in part in the air with a very small
space between the said leathers; and when A is moved in the direction from A
towards B, the insulated or projecting parts of the leathers become opposité
the parts where the stroke of the hammer is given, and the said leathers
receive the stroke, which is transmitted through them to the string under that
kind of modification which produces the effect on the tone last mentioned, and
this effect continues as long as the. said position is suffered to remain and con-
tinue. No. 7 iudicates an improvement effected by placing the lowest or
additional wires or strings C, C, C (when required) beneath the bottom of the
instrument which serves as the sound board, whero the same are acted upon by
the hammers A, B, by the touch from the keys, as shown in the Drawing:
The advantage of this disposition is, that the instrument itself is considerably
shorter, and the stroke may be given by a hammer of greater power and effect
than usual. No. 9, upon the key or first lever of the instrument, is placed to

page_text: indicate that the said levers or keys, with the supports and connections there
unto belonging, may be slided inwards and the in-trument completely close
up, while the other levers and apparatus supporting and more immediatel
acting on the hammers will be left undisturbed, and the said levers or key
with their supports and connections may be again and immediately brough
into effect by drawing out the same to the first position or situation thereof
No. 8 shews a very convenient method of closing the instrument by a falling
leaf or lid, which is raised to the position A, C, when the instrument is in
LISC. At No. 10 is shewn a method of more immoveably fastening or fixing
the pins on which the extremities of the strings are looped, which is effected
by indenting or cutting into the solid plank or board which constitutes the end
of the case itself, instead of glueing or otherwise fastening a separate piece as
usual to receive the said pins. No. 11 shews an improvement in the arch of
connection or support of the instrument by making the faces by which the
same is screwed or fixed thereto in the middle of the same, and giving by that
means a much greater breadth and consequently stiffness to the piece itself
than usual. And I do also improve the curved bridge of the said instrument
by making the same of two straight pieces, having the fair grain lengthways
throughout, and the flexure given to the compound piece by bending and
keeping the same bended while the glueing is done, and until the glue is quite
dry, after which the figure remains constant, and the bridge thus formed is
less liable to change or to occasion damage to the other parts in the course of
time than bridges made in the common manner. In Figure 1, No. 5, the
lower arm I of the lever (shewn in Fig. 3) is omitted in the construction,
and with this apparatus two tones only can be produced upon the same string,
as in the harps formerly made. No. 6 and 7, Figure 1, shews a simple
method (for harps of inferior price for beginners) in which the pin is made to
revolve through a proper angle, and carries a lever (adjustable in its length),
which, by the pressure of a small pulley or other proper bearing face at its
extremity upon the part of the string above the said pin, produces the sharp
note or half tone. Figure 7 shows a stop for softening or damping the tone
of the harp. A, A, A, are respectively certain pairs or pieces of buff leather
or other soft material attached to the extremities of springs, all which are con-
nected with two sliding pieces upon the belly of the harp, moveable by the bent
lever B, by a pedal or otherwise, and when the said sliders are moved in one
direction, the said pairs or pieces apply themselves to the strings and produce
the intended effect.
And lastly, I do declare that the connection between the levers f, e, and
h, i, k, Fig. 1 and 3, may be made by circular ares with teeth instead of the

page_text: wire m, but that this last construction is in many respects inferior in value and
effect to that which I have adopted and herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sebastian Erard, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and nine.