IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION OF PIANOFORTES
Year: 1843

page_text: AND JAMDER
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, JAMES
STEWART, of No. 3, Gloucester Crescent, Gloucester Gate, in the Parish of
Saint Pancras, in the County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, and THOMAS
LAMBERT, of No. 91, Albany Street, in the said Parish of Saint Pancras, in
the said County of Middlesex, Pianoforte Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at Westminster,
the Twenty-ninth day of April, in the sixth year of Her reign, did, for
Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said James
Stewart and Thomas Lambert, Her especial licence, that we, the said
James Stewart and Thomas Lambert, our exors, adññiors, and assigns, and
every of them, or such others as we, the said James Stewart and Thomas
Lambert, our exors, adiñors, 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
that part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called
England, the Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE ACTION OF PIANOFORTES," in such
manner as to us, the said James Stewart and Thomas Lambert, our exors,
admors, and assigns, or any of them, should seem meet; in which said Letters
Patent there is contained a proviso, obliging us, the said James Stewart and
Thomas Lambert, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or

page_text: under the hand and seal of one of us, particularly to describe and ascertain
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six 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, we, the said
James Stewart and Thomas Lambert, do hereby declare that our new invented
improvements are as follows, that is to say:-
First, in the mode of constructing that description of pianofortes called
upright pianofortes, which we effect in the following manner, that is to say:-
See Drawings hereunto annexed, Figure 1, which represents a repeater check-
action cabinet pianoforte with the key at rest and also with the key in action.
The
a is the key, with a regulating nut b, on which stands the sticker c.
sticker is held in its place by an arm d; the top of the sticker is attached
to the under part of the lever e, which moves on the center f. On the
levere the crank g is mounted; on the front of the crank g is a curved pro-
jection n. The top of the upright limb of the crank g stands in the notch
of the hammer butt h, which hammer butt h is also furnished with a
check . When the key is pressed down, the crank g rises and throws the
hammer m to the string; at the same time the horizontal arm i of the crank
g comes in contact with the button of the escapement j, and brings the crank g
out of the notch of the hammer butt h, the spring k at the same time acting
on the hammer butt h, assists in bringing back the hammer and its check, the
check at the same time coming in contact with the curved projection n; thus
the hammer is checked at the point, which enables the performer to command
the repeat with facility. The crank g is returned into the notch by a spring
o whenever the key is liberated.
We claim the above-described new combination of the lever e, the crank g,
the check 1, the spring k, and the escapement j. By this combination we effect
the important end of an easy and effective repeat, and an improvement in the
touch, which is one of our improvements in the action of pianofortes.
Second, in the mode of constructing that description of pianofortes called
upright pianofortes, that is to say :-See Drawing, Figure 2, which represents
an upright pianoforte, with a double row of stickers and repeater check-
action, with the key at rest, and also with the key in action. a is the key;
b, the jack; c, the under hammer; d, the back sticker, which connects the
under hammer c and the upper hammer e; f, the front sticker attached to the
check lever g. To the front of the back sticker d a block of wood h, with a

page_text: leather under surface, is attached; to the back of the front sticker f is
attached a wire spring i, having on its end a small block of wood j, which
extends under the block of wood h. The end of the under hammer c is
clongated, terminating in an inclined plane k. When the key is struck the
elongation of the under hammer c rests upon the fly of the jack b, and the
block of wood h is received by the end j of the wire spring i, and by these
means the performer is enabled to repeat the note with greater facility. We
claim this new combination of the elongated under hammer c, as above described,
with the block h, and the wire spring i with the block j at its extremity, pro-
ducing a good repeat and improvement in the. touch, which is another of our
improvements in the action of pianofortes.
Third, in the mode of constructing that description of pianofortes called
upright pianofortes, that is to say:-See Drawing, Figure 3, which represents
an upright pianoforte with a double row of stickers and repeater check-action,
with the key at rest and also with the key in action. To the fly of the jack b
we attach a block of wood l faced with leather, and from the under hammer c
is projected a wire spring m, with a block of wood n attached to its extremity,
which hangs down before the face of the block of wood l. When the key is
pressed down it raises the hammer e, which, after it has struck the string, is,
by means of the block 1 coming against the block of wood n, sustained near the
string, as shewn in that portion of Figure 3 representing it in action, and thus
allows a repeat to be made with facility and precision. We 'claim the new
combination of the parts l, m, and n, as above described, producing a good
repeat and improvement in the touch, which is another of our improvements
in the action of pianofortes.
.
Fourth, in the mode of constructing that description of pianofortes called
grand square pianofortes, that is to say:-See Drawing, Figure 4, which repre-
sents a grand square pianoforte with the key at rest and also with the key in
action. e is the under hammer; by elongating the under surface of the head
of it to an inclined plane it rests on the jack f at various points, according to
the force of the blow with which the key is struck. d is a fly of fine cloth,
glued on the top of the check h, and projecting sufficiently to touch the heel of
the hammer g in its return from the string at a point above, where it would be
arrested by the solid check. We make the heel of the upper hammer g
slightly concave, and the upper surface of the head of the under hammer e
convex. This last-mentioned combination of form in the upper and under
hammers increases the momentum of the hammer as it rises to the string. We
claim this new combination of the elongated under hammer e with the inclined
plane, and the hollowing of the heel of the upper hammer g, and the fly d on

page_text: the check h, producing a good repeat, and an improvement in the touch, which
is another of our improvements in the action of pianofortes.
Fifth, in square pianofortes without a check, we apply the improved form
of the under hammer and the heel of the upper hammer, as above described, by
which means we obtain an improvement in the touch; see Figure 5, which
represents one with the key down, and another with the key in action. We
claim this new combination in these instruments producing an improvement in
the touch, which is another of our improvements in the action of pianofortes.
In witness whereof, we, the said James Stewart and Thomas Lambert,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, the Twenty-eighth day of
October, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and
forty-three.