IMPROVEMENTS IN CLARINETS
Year: 1858

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Carte, of No. 20, Charing Cross, in the City
of Westminster, Military Musical Instrument Maker, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLARINETS."
Sealed the 23rd April 1858, and dated the. 9th February 1858.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Carte at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 9th
February 1858.
I, RICHARD CARTE, of No. 20, Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster,
Military Musical Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN CLARINETS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improvements in the construction of clarinets of
áll kinds, and the object of such improvements is to facilitate the fingering of
certain notes on this instrument, in combination with other notes.
G
I will proceed to describe these improvements.
My first improvement refers to a more easy method of producing the note
In clarinets hitherto made, this note is produced by removing
the thumb of the left hand from the hole placed on the under side of the

page_text: holes. The difficulty arising from this fingering consists in passing from tho
note Gto other notes which require the use of the thumb key placed
near it, and worked also by this thumb, and which comes in frequent use, a
difficulty well understood by those familiar with this instrument.
My improvement consists of the removal of this hole from the under side of the
instrument to the upper side, and I stop it with a key which stands open by
its own spring, and can be closed by pressing down one or other of the fingers
on its own hole or key, adopting the well-known system of ring and lever, or
lever alone communicating with this open key. By this means the thumb is
left at liberty to operate with freedom on the first-named thumb key, and also
facilitates the fingering of such passages in music in which G occurs.
My second improvements refers to the mode of producing G
#ob
or Ab. In clarinets hitherto made, this note is produced by a key on one side
of the instrument, kept closed by its own spring, and which is opened by the
first, or in some clarinets, by the second finger of the left hand. The difficulty
of this mode of fingering is well known to clarinet players, the finger being
required to do double duty, one part of the finger to act on the key and
another to cover a hole, causing an inconvenient action of the finger. My
improvement consists in substituting for the key referred to a key kept open by
its own spring, and which I close by pressing down one or other of the fingers of
the left hand on its own hole or key, adopting, as before described, the well-
known system of ring and lever communicating with this open key. By this
means the Gor Ab is produced by the natural movement of the finger, and a
facility of execution is obtained when G# or Ab comes in combination with
other notes.
A
My third improvement refers to a more easy method of producing the note
In clarinets hitherto made this note is produced by a key
kept closed by its own spring, and which is opened by the first finger of
the left hand. The difficulty of this mode of fingering is well known to
clarinet players, the first finger having to operate on this key, as also on the
hole placed near it, in the same way as the thumb operated on the hole and
key first above described, causing a most inconvenient action of the finger.
My improvement consists in the employment of a key kept open by its own
spring, and I shut it by pressing down one or other of the fingers of the left
hand on its own hole or key, whereby I shut the key, adopting, as before
described, the well-known system of ring and lever communicating with this

page_text: open key. By this means the A is produced by a simple or natural move-
ment of the finger and the inconvenience above described is obviated.
My fourth improvement consists in the use of an open instead of a closed
key, worked by the thumb of the left hand used to produce the lower and
higher registers, so that the action is reversed, the key being pressed down for
closing the hole, produces the lower register, and by removing the thumb from
off the key to open it for the upper register, by which facilities of execution
are obtained in certain combinations of notes..
By the use of these various modifications of construction in combination, I
obtain great facilities in rapidity of fingering passages hitherto difficult of
execution.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Carte in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
9th August 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
CARTE, of No. 20, Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster, Military
Musical Instrument Maker, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her. Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her. heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Richard Carte, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Carte, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Richard Carte, 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
CLARINETS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Carte,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or
one of their hands and seals; should particularly describe and ascertain 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 Richard Carte, 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 Drawings hereunto annexed that
is to say:
My Invention consists in improvements in the construction of clarinets of
all kinds, and the object of such improvements is to facilitate the fingering of
certain notes in this instrument, in combination with other notes. I will
proceed to describe these improvements.
1. My first improvement refers to a more easy method of producing the
note G
In clarinets hitherto made this note is produced by
removing the thumb of the left hand from the hole placed on the under side of
the instrument, the fingers of the left hand being lifted off their respective
holes. The difficulty arising from this fingering consists in passing from the
note G to other notes which require the use of the thumb key placed near
it, and worked also by this thumb, and which comes in frequent use, a difficulty
well understood by those familiar with this instrument. My improvement
consists of the removal of this hole from the under side of the instrument to
the upper side, and I stop it with a key which stands open by its own spring,
and can be closed by pressing down one or other of the fingers on its own hole
or key, adopting the well-known system of ring or key and lever, or lever
alone connecting with this open key. By this means the thumb is left at
liberty to operate with freedom on the first-named thumb key, and also
facilitates the fingering of such passages in music in which G occurs.
2. My second improvement refers to the mode of producing G#
or Ab. In clarinets hitherto made this note is produced by a key on one side
of the instrument, kept closed by its own spring, and which is opened by the
first, or, in some clarinets, by the 2nd finger of the left hand; the difficulty of
this mode of fingering is well known to clarinet players, the finger being
required to do double duty, one part of the finger to act on the key, and
another to cover a hole, causing an inconvenient action of the finger. My
improvement consists in substituting for the key referred to, a key kept open
by its own spring, and which I close by pressing down one or other of the
fingers of the left hand on its own hole or key, adopting the well-known
system of ring or key and lever communicating with this open key. By this
means the Gor Ab is produced by the natural movement of the finger,
and a facility of execution is obtained when Gor Ab come in combination
with other notes..

page_text: 3. My third improvement refers to a more easy method of producing the
note A
In clarinets hitherto made, this note is produced by
a key kept closed by its own spring, and which is opened by the first
finger of the left hand. The difficulty of this mode of fingering is well-
known to clarinet players, the first finger having to operate on this key, as also
on the hole placed near it, in the same way as the thumb operates on the
hole and key first above described, causing a most inconvenient action of the
finger. My improvement consists in the employment of a key kept open by
its own spring, and I shut it by pressing down one or other of the fingers of
the left hand on its own hole or key, whereby I shut the key, adopting the
well-known system of ring or key, and lever communicating with this open
key. By this means the A is produced by a simple or natural movement of
the finger, and the inconvenience above described is obviated.
4. My fourth improvement consists in the use of an open instead of, as
heretofore, a closed key, worked by the thumb of the left hand, so that the
action is reversed. In my improved instrument, the key being pressed down
for all the notes of the lower register, except Bb, and being left open for B b
of the lower register, and all the notes of the upper register, facilities of
execution are obtained in certain combinations of notes. .
I
I now proceed to describe a system of mechanism, whereby my Invention
may be carried into effect.
Figure I. represents part of the exterior surface of an instrument, supposed
to be spread out flat, shewing a plan of the keys and holes. The letters A;
G, GE, F, F, E, and D indicate these respective notes in the lower
register of the instrument produced when these respective holes are open, those
above being closed; thus D is produced by all the holes above it being closed;
and so on in succession. The holes producing respectively the notes A, G,
G, and D, are respectively covered and closed by the respective keys a, b,
c, and g; and d, e, and fare rings, encircling the respective holes producing
the notes F, F, and E. The first finger of the left hand is placed over
the ring d, the second finger over the ring e, and the third finger over the
ring f, and the little finger operates on the arm g¹.. All these several keys and
rings are kept open or raised from the holes they respectively cover by their
own springs. The dotted lines, Figure II., is the wire or bar, on which the
after-mentioned tubes work. z and 21, Fig. I., are pillars, fixed to the instru-
ment sustaining the wire, on which the tubes work. Figures II., III., IV.;
and V. are the corresponding parts, detached from the instrument according

page_text: to the several letters they respectively bear. In order to shut the key a which
covers the hole A, I press the little finger of the left hand on the arm g¹;
this will close the key g, Figure I., which is fixed to the tube g², working on
the wire shewn by the dotted lines, Figure II. On the tube g² Figure V. is a
small flat piece of metal, and which I call a clamp. This clamp overlaps a
corresponding clamp 2, Figure II., on a small piece of tubing h attached to
or in a piece with the wire. The key a is attached to the tube a', which is
in a piece with this wire, and thus the motive power is communicated to the
key a. By thus closing the hole AI produce the note of the hole below,
namely, G. In order to close the key b which covers the hole G#, I press
the third finger of the left hand on the ring f which stands over the hole E.
This ring is fixed to the tube f2, Figure III.,, which is connected with the
tube of the key by the bracket, as shewn in the Drawing, in Figure III.
The tubing and f2 work on the wire. By this means the Ghole is closed..
The clamp k, attached to the tube 2, lapping over the clamp ³, fixed on the
tube a', Figure II., will at the same time close the key a, and thus the note
G will be produced. The key c, the ring d, and ring e, are attached to the
same tube, as shewn in Figure IV., and work on the wire. In order to shut
the key c, which covers the hole G, I press the second finger of the left
hand on the ring. e, which stands over the hole F. is a clamp, attached to
the tube at key c, as shown in Figure IV. This laps over a corresponding
clamp, attached to the tube 2, Figure III., and while the key c will thus
be closed, key will also be closed, and thus key a will be also, closed as
before described. Thus the note F# will be produced. These several notes
are the notes in the lower register of the instrument. If I place the first
finger of the left hand only on the hole of F#, it follows that this and the
three holes above it will be closed, and thus the note F will be produced;
and if the second finger of the left hand be also pressed on the F hole, the
note E will be produced; and again, if the third finger of the left hand be
also pressed on the E hole, D# will be produced; and if the little finger of
the left hand be also pressed on the arm g', the hole of D# will be closed,
producing the note D. Figure VI. represents the Bb key; above referred
to under the "fourth improvement," which covers the Bb. hole, Figure I.
This key is kept raised by its own spring, and is closed by pressing the thumb
of the left hand on the lever end; and the note A is produced when the
key is closed, and Bb when it is opened.
When the above described improvements are adopted, then it will be
necessary also to adopt a similar arrangement of keys, as above described, for
the seven half tones below D# (see Figure 1). DE, as above stated, will be

page_text: produced when the three fingers of the left hand are placed on their respective
rings above described, and the little finger on the arm'g'. The key over the D
hole is closed by pressing down the key over the Ghole with the little finger
of the right hand in a similar manner as the a key is closed, as ábove described,
by the little finger of the left hand pressing on the arm g'. Thus the note C#
is produced. To close the key over the hole C# the third finger of the right
hand must press the ring standing over the A hole, in a similar manner as
the key b is closed by pressing the ring f, as above described. Thus the note
C will be produced. The key over the hole of Ch will be closed by pressing
down the second finger of the right hand on the ring over the hole of Bb in a
similar manner as the key c is closed, as before described.. Thus the note B
is produced. By placing the first finger of the right hand on the ring stand-
ing over the hole B, the holes D, C, C, and B will be closed in the
same manner as the keys a, b, and c, and the hole F# were shut, as before
described. Thus the note Bb will be produced. By also placing the second
finger of the right hand on the hole B2, the note A will be produced; and
by also placing the third finger of the right hand on the hole A the note G#
will be produced. The Gor Ab hole is covered by a key kept open by its
own spring. The note G will therefore be produced by closing the G# hole'
with the little finger of the right hand. It will be observed in this system,
that the notes produced by the fingerings of the left hand, as first above
described, are fifths above the corresponding fingerings of the right hand lastly
before described. The lower Eis produced by closing a hole in its proper
position below the Ghole by a lever, operated upon by the little finger of
the left hand, which can be made also to close the key over the Ghole by a
lever or clamp, without the use of the little finger of the right hand. In
producing this note the little finger of the left hand will be removed from the
g key, which would stand open by its own spring, but will be kept closed by
an arm connected with the key over the Dhole, as shewn at p, in Figure I.
By the use of these various modifications of construction in combination I
obtain great facilities in rapidity of fingering passages, hitherto difficult of
execution, and improve the tone of various notes.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I make no claim to any of the particular part or parts
or mechanical contrivancies hercin-before described, as in and by itself or
themselves separately considered, or to the use of the whole in combination,
as there are parts of my Invention which may be employed without the
others; for instance, the use of an open key instead of a closed key to pro-
duce the Bb and the upper and lower registers. Or this improvement may

page_text: be used without the other improvements, as also any of the improvements
firstly, secondly, or thirdly herein described, with or without the other or others
of them to accommodate those who do not desire to make so extensive a
change from, the usual modes of fingering, or producing particular notes; and
although I have been particular in shewing all the parts in detail, according
to what I consider the best mode of carrying out my Invention there may be
variations made without,departing materially from my improvements; where-
fore I do not confine myself to the precise arrangement shewn and described
so long as the general principle of my Invention is retained; but what I do
claim as my Invention is,-
and notes of the upper and lower register, as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Carte, have hereunto set my 2
hand and seal; this Fifth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-eight..
RICHARD CARTE. (L.S.)