IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES
Year: 1844

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SEBASTIAN
MERCIER, of Paris, in the Kingdom of France, Manufacturer of Pianofortes,.:
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at-
Westminster the Twelfth day of December, in the eighth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said.
Sebastian Mercier, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Sebastian Mercier, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such:
others as I, the said Sebastian Mercier, my exors, admors, 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 expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-
Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PIANOFORTES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso, that I, the said Sebastian Mercier, shall cause.
a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner,
the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said 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
Sebastian Mercier, do hereby declare that the nature of my said Invention, and
the manner in which the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the following statement thereof, reference being had
to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked
thereon (that is to say) :-
My Invention has for its object the so arranging and applying apparatus
between "the actions" of pianofortes and the keys, that transpositions may take
place in respect to the notes struck with facility without shifting the keys, the
hammers or the strings, whereby pianofortes may more readily be rendered
capable than heretofore of from time to time varying the key, either several
semitones higher or lower when playing a piece of music, from that in which
the tune is set, thus adapting pianofortes for playing a piece of music to suit
the compass of different persons' voices, whether the music, as set, be in too
high or too low a key. I would at the outset remark, that I am aware that
efforts have before been made to produce what are called transposing piano-
fortes, and although there are such instruments occasionally to be met with,
yet I believe their construction for various reasons to be highly objectionable.
I mention this circumstance in order to state that I do not claim as new,
the making of transposing pianofortes, the peculiarity of my
Invention being
the dispensing with the necessity of shifting the keys, the hämmers, or the
strings, by placing apparatus between the keys and "the action," which enables
the performer at will to play a piece of music set in a particular key, one or more
semitones higher or lower than the original, without having the written or
printed music transposed, but by simply fingering the keys of a pianoforte in
the order in which the music is written, the transposition taking place between
the keys fingered and the strings.
And in order that my Invention may be most fully understood, and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 represents a transverse section, and Figure 2 a plan of so
much
of the key-board of a pianoforte as will enable me to describe my Invention.
a, a, are ivory keys which are hinged at b, b, to a fixed key rail c; these keys
do not as heretofore act directly to put "the action" in motion, apparatus being
placed between the keys a, a, and the portions of the keys a', a', which give
motion to the action; a¹, a', is the back portions of the keys, one corresponding
with every key a as shewn, and the transposing apparatus (hereafter described
which is intermediate of the portion of each key a, and the hinder portion or

page_text: continuation thereof a¹) is so arranged that when a pianoforte, having my
Invention applied thereto, is required to play in the key of the ordinary
standard or pitch of the pianoforte, each key a, when struck, will put in motion
the portion a', of the key which is directly behind the key a, which is struck
by the performer; but when a transposition has been made between the keys a
and the hinder parts of the keys a', then when a key a is struck, in place of
its producing what may be said to be its own note, it will produce a note one
or more semitones higher or lower than the note natural to the key so struck ;
e, e, are levers each moving on its centre pin d, as an axis, there being a slot
formed through each lever e, to receive its pin or axis d. The pins or axes d
are driven or fixed in the rail f, and this rail is capable of being moved either
towards the right hand or towards the left from the central position in which
it is placed in the Drawing at Figure 2. The rail f is carried by two-parallel
bars g, one near each end of the instrument, a strong pin h, affixed in each
bar g, passing through the ends of the rail f, and through the bars 9, which are
let into the ends of the rail f, keeping the rail f, in its correct position.
The parallel bars g are let into the ends of the fixed rail which carries the
pins i, the use of which will be hereafter described, and the bars 9 turn on pins
or axes j,j; fixed in such rail k is a connecting link or bar by which the two
parallel bars g are connected together and by which they are controlled to
move at the same time and to a like extent; is an arm or plate affixed to
the moveable rail f, there being a slot formed through it, through which a
pin m of the lever m enters, as is shewn. The lever m moves on a fulcrum
at m³, and the part of the lever m which is in front of the axis m² is elastic so
as to allow of being bent down, and it has a socket formed at its front end for
receiving a handle n, as is shewn by dotted lines at Figure 1; m³ is a pro-
jecting stud on the front end of the lever m. The object of this stud or
projection m³ is, that it may enter into the notches in the fixed plate o, so as
to form a stop to the lever m; and in order to remove the lever m a distance
from one notch to another on the plate o, the front portion of the lever m is
bent down so as to remove the projection from the notch in which it may be,
and then by the handle the end of the lever is moved till the stud m³ thereon
comes opposite the notch in the plate o into which it is desired the projection
shall enter; and then the elasticity of the front end of the lever m will causo
the stud m³ to enter the notch in the plate o. An in order that the performer
may know by sight the key in which the pianoforte is for the time being set, a
pointer pis applied to slide along the index plate q fixed near the right-hand
end of the pianoforte, as is shewn, and the under plate p' of the pointer has a

page_text: fork which embraces a stud or projection m* on the lever m; hence when that
lever is moved the pointer will be moved also. The index g is graduated so
as to shew by the pointer p in what key the pianoforte is set by the transposing
apparatus, and the index shews five graduations to the left and five graduations
to the right-hand of the central position in which the pointer p is shewn; and
when the pointer is in the centre it indicates that the pianoforte is set to its
natural or usual pitch, and for every movement of a graduated space of the
pointer p on the index plate to the left-hand the pitch of the instrument will
be made lower by one semitone to the extent of five semitones, and for every
movement of the pointer to the right-hand the pitch of the instrument will be
raised, and such raising of the tone may be to the extent of five semitones, the
instrument being so arranged as to allow of transposition to the extent of five
semitones up and five semitones down from its standard pitch, that trans-
position being considered sufficient for vocal music; but a workman will readily
perceive that if a greater extent of transposition were desired the same might
be effected by extending the apparatus. At each end of the connecting link
or rod k is attached a block k¹, which is constantly pressed outwards by a
spring, not shewn in the Drawing. This block moves in the recess cut for it
at the ends of the keyboard, and is for the purpose of coming under and
supporting the keys which go out of action at one end when the transposition
takes place. The levers e are each forked at its back end to receive a pin i;
this pin i also passes through one of the back ends a¹ of the keys a, by which.
the levers e, e, by whatever keys a they may be depressed, will put into action
the same hammer by the part of a key a' constantly above it, and it is the
movement of the front ends of the levers e, e, under different keys a which
produces the desired transposition, as will readily be traced on the Drawing
aided by the above description. I have not thought it necessary to shew the
general action of a pianoforte as the same forms no part of my Invention, and
the workman will perceive that the hinder parts a¹ of the keys when put in
motion rise in a similar manner to what would be the case if an ordinary key
were used; hence he will perceive that he may apply such action as he may'
think desirable.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I am
acquainted with for performing the same, I would wish it to be understood that
I do not claim the arrangement of keys a, a', nor do I confine myself to the
details of the apparatus shewn so long as the peculiar character of my Invention:
be retained; but what I claim is the so arranging and applying apparatus"
between the keys and the strings of pianofortes that transposition may take

page_text: place without shifting the keys, the hammers, or the strings, as herein.
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sebastian Mercier, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight, hundred and forty-five.
SEBASTIAN. (L.s.) MERCIER.
Taken and acknowledged by Sebastian Mercier
(party hercto), at Paris, in the Kingdom
of France, this Fifth day of June, 1845,
This is the Specification referred to in the athdavit of Samue Carpmacr
sworn before me, this 12th day of June 1845.
H. RICHARDS,
A Master Extraordinary in Chancery.
Samuel Carpmael, of Old Square, Lincolns Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman, maketh oath and saith that he is acquainted with the manner and
character of the handwriting of Thomas Pickford, Her Britannic Majesty's
Consul at Paris, in the Kingdom of France; and this deponent further saith
that the signature "Tho' Pickford" set, subscribed, and written in the
margin of the Specification hereunto annexed marked A, and dated the Fifth
day of the instant month of June, and purporting to be executed by Sebastian
Mercier, of Paris aforesaid, manufacturer of pianofortes, whereby it is stated
that the said Specification was acknowledged by him, the said Sebastian Mercier,
before the said Thomas Pickford, on the said Fifth day of June at Paris
aforesaid, is of the proper handwriting of the said Thomas Pickford.
S. CARPA AEL.
Sworn at my house at Croydon, in the County
of Surrey, this Twelfth day of June 1845,
S. CARPM

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the oath of Samuel Carpmael,
the Specification aforesaid was enrolled word for word as above written. And
also the Specification aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the
Statute made for that purpose.
Enrolled the Twelfth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand 5
eight hundred and forty-five.