IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOPORTES FOR RENDERING.** THEM MORE PORTABLE
Year: 1855

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Marsh, of 13, Store Street, Bedford Square,
in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOPORTES FOR RENDERING.**
THEM MORE PORTABLE."
Sealed the 3rd August 1855, and dated the 28th April 1855.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Marsh at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 28th
April 1855.
I, JAMES MARSH, of 13, Store Street, Bedford Square, in the County of
Middlesex, Pianoforte Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the
said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES FOR
RENDERING THEM MORE PORTABLE" to be as follows:-
My improvements in rendering pianofortes more portable consist in con-
structing the main body or frame of the instrument on which the strings are
stretched, together with the sounding board and case, in two or more parts,
fitted to each other so as to be readily capable of being separated or united,
for the purposes of transport. I divide the instrument in the direction of the
length of the strings, cutting through the sounding board, rest plank, and other
parts of the frame, together with the outer case. I place two of the stretchers
at the back of the sounding board in such position, that when the two parts of

page_text: the instrument are brought together they abut against each other, and are fur-
nished with steady pins and bolts or other mechanical contrivances, by which
the parts of the instrument may be accurately and securely held together.
The "action" and front part of pianofortes being easily removed, a further
division and separation of the main body of the instrument renders the whole
readily and easily portable. Constructing the main body of the instrument in
two parts would in most cases be sufficient, but it may be divided at two or
more places in the direction of the 'length of the strings, and separated into
three or more pieces.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Marsh in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
25th October 1855.
25th
TO. ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
MARSH,. of .13;. Store Street, Bedford Square, in the County of Middlesex,
Pianoforte Manufacturer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent, Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-five, in the eighteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Marsh, Her special licence that I, the said James Marsh,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others. as I, the said
James Marsh, my executors, 'administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and:vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF PIANOFORTES FOR RENDERING THEM MORE PORTABLE," upon the
condition (amongst others).that I, the said James Marsh, by an instrument
in writing under my hand and seal, should particularly describe and ascer-
tain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that: I, the said James Marsh, do hereby declare the
nature of my. said. Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
. My improvements in rendering pianofortes more portable consist in con-
structing the main body or frame of the instrument on which the strings are
stretched, together with the sounding board and case, in two or more parts,
fitted to each other so as to be readily capable of being separated and after-
wards united for the purposes of transport. I divide the instrument in the
direction of the length of the strings, cutting through the sounding board,
wrest plank, and other parts of the frame, together with the outer case. I
place two of the stretchers at the back of the sounding board in such position,
that when the two parts of the instrument are brought together they abut
against each other, and are furnished with steady pins and bolts or other
mechanical contrivances, by which the parts of the instrument may be accu-
rately and securely held together. The "action" and front parts of pianofortes
being easily removed, a further division and separation of the main body of
the instrument renders the whole readily and easily portable. Constructing the
main body of the instrument in two parts would in most cases be sufficient,
but it may be divided at two or more places in the direction of the length of
the strings, and separated into three or more parts.
Figure 1 of the annexed Sheet of Drawings represents the end view of an
upright pianoforte complete, constructed according to my Invention; and
Fig. 2, a front view of the same, with fall or front part and legs of the piano
removed; also the keys and action, which are precisely similar to ordinary
pianofortes, and therefore require no description; Fig. 3 is a back view of
the instrument with the canvas or other backing removed.
In general
appearance and for effect this piano is very similar to ordinary instruments
of the same class, but which have heretofore always been made in one piece,
and incapable of any further subdivision than the removal of the action keys,
&c. Now, my object being to render pianos more easy of transport, and capable
of being carried on a man's back, or on the backs of animals, when such is
required, this in the pianos of ordinary construction is more or less imprac-
ticable, on account of the weight of the tension frame or stringed part of the
instrument being too much to be sustained in long journeys; whereas according
to my Invention this part of the instrument may be divided into two or more
parts, and therefore better adapted for such mode of transit. Referring to
Eig. 1, it will be seen that the fall and front part of the framework a, a, of
the instrument is attached to the main body of the case by two bolts at either
end, the bolts b, b, passing through from the back and screwing into nuts

page_text: inserted in the front; dowels or steady pins c, c, are also applied to further
fix and adjust the junction of the two parts. The front pannels d, d, are fitted
and are removeable in the ordinary manner.
In the instrument represented in the Drawings, the blue lines shew a few of
the strings, the remainder being mere repititions, and well understood. The
wrest plank e, e, is divided into two parts at mid length, as best seen at Fig. 5,
which is a front view with the parts detached; Fig. 6 being a similar view of
the back; the foot plank f, f', and string plate g, g', fixed thereto are also
similarly formed in two parts, with the junction coinciding in position with the
wrest plank. These parts are braced and kept asunder by braces or stretchers
h, much in the usual way, each division in itself being complete and capable
of sustaining the strings in tension. The braces h', ', I make somewhat
smaller than the others, but are so disposed, that joining the two parts of the
instrument brings them close to each other, in which position they are firmly
bolted together. These two braces h', ', thus form the central and principal
brace of the instrument. In order to insure the correct junction of the parts,
I fix dowel pins i, i, i, into one of the. braces h¹; I bore corresponding holes
in the other brace h³ for the reception of the other projecting ends of the dowel
pins, which being accurately fitted maintain the relative positions of the parts.
The bolts h, k, k, form the principal stay between the parts; they pass quite
through the braces h', aud screw into nuts seen in dotted lines, and placed in
wood caps or covers 1, 1, glued or otherwise fixed to prevent the nut turning
round. As a further connection for the two parts c and e' of the wrest plank,
I screw or otherwise secure a metal knee piece m, best seen in the transverse
view (Fig. 4, which is taken at the division of the instrument). This piece m
descends to the depth of the wrest plank at the back, and is also turned down
in front and secured by screws, as seen at n.
This knee piece is permanently
fixed to one half of the instrument, the other part being easily detached.
similar knee piece p, p, is also applied at the lower part of the instrument, or
the metal string plate g may be carried underneath the foot plank and up the
back of the braces at suitable points. The sounding board q, q'; is cut through
in the same plane as the other parts, and cach half is perfectly and indepen-
lently secured to its part of the instrument. The two halves of the sounding
board 9, 9', are immediately connected by small wood plates r, r³, r, r³, placed
in pairs, one behind the board and the other in front. These pieces or plates
are permanently fixed to the part q by screws passing freely through holes in
the sounding board and front plates r, r, but screwing into the plates r, r; at
the back of the board, so as to pinch the two plates together: A single screw
passing through part qof the sounding board and the ends of these plates;
A

page_text: forms the connection of the two parts of the sounding board at the line of
intersection 1, 2. The bridges s, s, and t, t, are mounted and fixed in the usual
manner, but are cut through at the line of intersection, but will require no
further description. It will be observed that the wrest pins u, u, in one part
of the wrest plank lead the strings at an opposite incline to that of the other,
in order that the wrest pins may be at some little distance from the junction,
which is simply effected by leading the strings on the opposite side of the
bridge pins of t to that on which the strings of the other half of the instru-
ment are conducted. In order to strengthen the braces h', h', I sometimes
apply a metal brace or plate v, fitted and fixed in front of either one or both of
those braces, as seen in Fig. 4, and in detached front view at Fig. 7. The
upper end of the iron brace is recessed into the wrest plank, to which it is
firmly screwed or bolted, and to the brace h¹ at several points, as seen, and
also to the foot plank f below. Near the lower part of this metal brace v a
projecting feather piece w extends frontwards towards the strings, and takes a
bearing on the string plate, as seen in the transverse section Fig. 4, and so
strengthens the braces in resisting the tension of the strings at that part of
the instrument. When only one of these metal brace stays are used, I place
it in the lower half of the instrument, that is, on the left. If two such metal
stays are employed, I fit one to cach of the braces h¹, h', which consequently
come close together in the middle of the instrument, and add great strength
thereto. The construction and combination of the several parts of the instru-
ment, otherwise than those particularly described, is the same as in ordinary
instruments, and therefore require no particular mention. In taking this
instrument to pieces for packing and transport, it is simply necessary to remove
the action keys and fall in the ordinary way, then remove the key bed and
side pieces by unscrewing the bolts b, b, then remove the screws of knee
pieces m and p, as represented in the detached views, Figs. 5 and 6, when on
unscrewing the bolts k, k, k, the body of the instrument may be separated into
two pieces, as represented in those Figures. The strings will retain their
tension, and the several parts may be packed in three cases or packages, each
of only one-third the weight of the entire pianoforte, and in that state may
be readily transported. The parts of the instrument will be equally as simple
to connect as to disconnect, and may be executed by any workman of ordinary
ability. In case it should be required to divide the body of the instrument
into more than two parts, this can be effected by forming two or more divisions,
each to be similarly fitted and furnished as the parts described. The separation
of the parts being always in the direction of the length of the strings, the
strings retain their proper degree of tension, and the parts may be connected

page_text: and disconnected with equal facility, and severally packed in cases or packages
of proportionably smaller size. Although I have confined the description of
my Invention to the construction of upright pianofortes, it will be readily
understood that this principal of construction is also applicable to pianofortes
of other forms.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the same
may be performed, I would have it understood that what I claim is, the con-
struction of pianofortes with the string frame or body of the instrument in
parts capable of being connected or disconnected, for the purposes and as
herein-before described,
In witness, whereof, I, the said James Marsh, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Seventeenth day of October; in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-five...