IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE APPLIED TO PIANOFORTES
Year: 1845

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
THOMAS CROMWELL, of Romsey, in the County of Hants, Teacher of Music,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Eleventh day of November, in the ninth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Samuel Thomas Cromwell, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and
authority, that I, the said Samuel Thomas Cromwell, my executors, adminis-
trators, and assigns, and such others as I, the said Samuel Thomas Cromwell,
my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and
no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of years therein
mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
England, Wales, the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and in all Her Majesty's
Colonies and Plantations abroad, and in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark and Man, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO
BE APPLIED TO PIANOFORTES;" in which said Letters Patent is contained a proviso
obliging me, the said Samuel Thomas Cromwell, by an instrument 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 inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of Chancery
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference being thereunto
had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I,. the said
Samuel Thomas Cromwell, do hereby declare that the nature of my said In-
vention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed, is particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following description thereof, reference
being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures
marked thereon (that is to say):
--
My Invention of Improvements in Apparatus to be applied to Pianofortes
consists in an arrangement of stops for producing harmonic sounds, which
form a kind of echo to the ordinary quality of tone produced by pianofortes,
and at the same time raise the pitch of the instrument. The manner in which
I obtain this effect or quality of tone in pianofortes is by placing over the
string or strings of each note or half note, at about the middle of their length,
an elastic stop, which, being pressed upon the strings, will reduce the vibration
and produce the harmonic sound. In the accompanying Drawing I have
shewn my improvements as applied to a cottage and a square pianoforte, and
it will be obvious that the harmonic stops may be also applied in a similar
manner to any other construction of pianofortes.
•
In Sheet I., Fig. 1 represents an elevation of a cottage pianoforte, the
"action" and keys being removed the better to shew the arrangement of the
springs and the application of the improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 is a cross
section of the cottage pianoforte, shewing the relative position of the "action"
and the apparatus for producing the harmonic sounds. A, A, is a bar which
*stretches across the strings, and carries the harmonic stops. This bar is com-
posed of two flat pieces of metal, attached together in such a manner as to
leave a space or slot between them (of nearly their whole length), in which
space or slot metallic springs a, a, a, are placed vertically and parallel to each
other, at such distances apart that each shall stand in front of the strings of
the note it is intended to command or act upon. In this position the springs α
are secured by means of screws (see the detached view, Fig. 3, which is drawn
to the full size). Each end of the bar A is provided with a pivot working in
sockets at either side' of the casing' of the pianoforte, which pivots support the
'bar and allow it to vibrate slightly, as will be presently explained. On the
upper end of the springs à a piece of metal 6 is attached, which stands out at
right angles with the spring, and has a slot cut in its outer edge to receive a
piece of leather or other soft substance, the pressure of which upon the strings
"will lessen the vibration and produce the new effect of quality of tone before
⚫ mentioned. c, c, are springs attached to the frame of the pianoforte, and
intended to act upon the bar A and keep the stops of that bar clear from the
strings. The mode of bringing the stops into action will be seen at Fig. 2.

page_text: d is a pedal connected by means of a rod e to a lever f, which in this
arrangement passes between the vertical rods of the "action." This lever f
has its bearing in the frame of the "action," and is provided at .its, short
end with a bent piece 9, which is always in contact with the bar A. . It
will now be seen that:if the foot of the performer is placed on the pedal d; the
long end of the lever f will be depressed, and, the. bent end g being conse
quently raised will drive forward the bar A, and bring the stops b in contact
with the strings, and these stops being, as before stated, placed so as to act on
the middle of the string, (that is, the middle of that portion of the string which
is made to vibrate by the action of the hammer,) will in a great measure
check the vibration and produce a soft harmonic sound; but immediately the
foot is removed from the pedal the springs c, c, will force the bar A into its
former position, free the strings from the stops b, and allow the pianoforte to
produce the ordinary quality of tone as before. The exact position of the
stops is regulated with great nicety by means of the screws in the bar A.
In Sheet II. my improvements are shewn as applied to a square pianoforte,
Fig. 1 being a longitudinal vertical section, and Fig. 2 a plan view, with the
upper part removed to shew the arrangement of the harmonic stops more
clearly. The action and the effect are very similar in this instrument to that
of the one above described, the bar A and the stops b being placed over instead
of in front of the strings. In this arrangement the action of the pedal is con-
veyed directly to the bar by a vertical rod e, the upper end of which passes
through an eye in the end of a rod f, and is secured thereto by a nut or pin.
This rod f is attached to the vibrating bar A which carries the stops, and thus,
when the performer depresses the pedal, the rod e will pull down the rod f of..
the bar A, and bring the harmonic stops to act upon the strings. I would.
here remark, that I do not confine myself to any particular mode of depressing
the
stops, as a variety of plans may be adopted, according to the construction
of the pianoforte or the fancy of the maker. A method which might, under
some circumstances, be preferred for actuating the stops of a cabinet or cottage
pianoforte, is represented in the detached view, Fig. 4, Sheet I. a is a fixed
centre pin on the frame of the "action," and on this pin a peculiarly formed
arm b works freely. The end of this arm is formed into a cam or tappet, and
it is worked up and down by a rod c attached to a pedal d at its lower end; on
the upper end of this rod c an eye or slot is formed, which embraces the arm b,
and draws it down when the pedal is depressed by the foot of the performer.
When thus depressed the largest diameter of the cam or tappet end of the
arm 6 will come in contact with the vibrating bar A (which carries the stops),
and press the stops forward on to the strings as before explained. The pedal

page_text: being provided with a spring beneath, will, when the performer's foot is
removed, rise up and carry with it the rod c, which will push the arm b into
its former position, and allow the vibrating bar A to fall back and release the
strings from contact with the stops. Instead of making the stops press on the
middle of the strings (and thus raise the pitch of the notes one octave), the
harmonic effect may be obtained by placing the stops at other harmonic
distances on the strings, say one third or two thirds the length of the vibrating
portion of the strings, measuring from the bridge, as will be understood by all
persons conversant with the science of music.
Having now described my Improvements in Apparatus to be applied to
Pianofortes, I wish it to be understood that I claim, under the above in part
recited Letters Patent, the application of stops to the strings of pianofortes
(intermediate of their length), for the purpose of producing harmonic sounds
and new effects or qualities of tone.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel Thomas Cromwell, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight bundred and forty-six.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the same Eighth day of May, in
the year above mentioned, the aforesaid Samuel Thomas Cromwell came
before our Lady the Queen in Her Chancery, and acknowledged the Speci-
fication aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained, in form above
written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to
the tenor of the Statute in that case made and provided.