A NEW METHOD FOR IMPROVING AND AUGMENTING THE TONES OF PIANO- FORTES, ORGANS, AND EUPHONONS
Year: 1824

page_text: WHEATSTONE'S SPECIFICATION..
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
WHEATSTONE, of No. 118, Jermyn Street, St. James's, in the County of
Middlesex, Music Seller, send greeting.
WHEREAS His most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth, by His
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at West-
minster, the Twenty-ninth day of July, in the fifth year of His reign, did,
for Himself, His heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
William Wheatstone, His especial licence that I, the said William Wheat-
stone, my exors, admors, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William
Wheatstone, my exors, admors, and assigns, should at any time agree with,
and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years
therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, my Inven-
tion of "A NEW METHOD FOR IMPROVING AND AUGMENTING THE TONES OF PIANO-
FORTES, ORGANS, AND EUPHONONS;" in which said Letters Patent there is
contained a proviso, obliging me, the said William Wheatstone, by an in-
strument. in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe and
ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is
to be performed, and to cause the same to be enrolled in His Majesty's High

page_text: Court of Chancery within two calendar months next and immediately after
the date of the said recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
William Wheatstone, 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 in and by the following Specification thereof (that
is to say)-
:-
My said Invention or method of improving and augmenting the tones of
pianofortes, organs, and cuphonons, consists in covering as much of their
external surfaces as possible with frames formed either of wood or other fit
and proper materials, and having bars across them to strengthen or connect
them together. These said frames are to be covered on both sides with thin,
elastic, flexible, vibrating substances tightly stretched over them, such as vel-
lum, parchment, or other animal membranes, paper, canvas, woven silk, linen,
or any other fit and proper substances or combinations thereof. These said
frames are to be placed as nearly as possible to the strings of the pianofortes
and the euphonons, or to the pipes of organs, in order that the interior flexible
substances they are covered with may receive the vibrations from the strings
or pipes when sounded, aided by the soundboards, and by reverberating them
between the two flexible surfaces, and through the agency of the columns of
air therein interposed, greatly improve the quality of the tones produced from
the instruments, and communicate them thus improved through the exterior
flexible vibrating surfaces to the auditor. Thicker or thinner flexible
vibrating substances may be employed to cover the frames with, according to
the nature or quality of the tones ordinarily produced by the instruments.
For instance, in those instruments which have lesser powers of producing
tones than others, or where more power is required from the instruments, I
would employ thinner vibrating substances than in those cases where the
tones of the instruments are too loud and harsh, and require thicker vibrating
substances to ameliorate them. I also occasionally cause holes to be made
either directly through the outsides of the frames to their interiors, or else
communicating with other holes at right angles to them reaching from the
interior of the frames, and which said holes convey the tones from between
the flexible vibrating surfaces to the external air with additional effect.
I also furnish the exterior of these holes with trumpet-mouthed tubes about
an inch in length or longer, or else cover them with hollow trunks or tubes
communicating with several of the holes, and which said tubes have con-

page_text: venient orifices at their ends, sides, or fronts opening to the external air. In
some instances it may be also desirable for the purposes before mentioned to
form other holes in the insides of the frames communicating with their
interiors similar to those before mentioned as proceeding from their outsides.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Wheatstone, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, the Twenty-ninth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and twenty-four.