CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE HARP LUTE AND SPANISH GUITAR
Year: 1828

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ANGELO
BENEDETTO VENTURA, of Cirecencester Place, Fitzroy Square, in the County
of Middlesex, Professor of Music, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King George the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date
at Westminster, the Twenty-first day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and twenty-eight, in the ninth year of His reign, did give and grant
unto me, the said Angelo Benedetto Ventura, His special licence that I,
the said Angelo Benedetto Ventura, my exors, admors, and assigns, and such
others as I, the said Angelo Benedetto Ventura, 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 fourteen years therein mentioned, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within that part of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called our Dominion of Wales, and
the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all His Majesty's Colonies
and Plantations abroad, my "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS ON THE HARP LUTE
AND SPANISH GUITAR;" in which said Letters Patent there is contained a
proviso that I, the said Angelo Benedetto Ventura, shall cause a particular
description of my said Inventions, and in what manner the same are to be
performed, to be inrolled in His 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
Angelo Benedetto Ventura, do hereby describe the manner in which my said
Inventions are to be performed, reference being had to the Drawings here-
unto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon (that is to
say):
The first is my improvement on the harp lute, now called by me the Harp
Ventura, and is represented by a complete Drawing of the instrument marked
with the letters A, standing upright on a flat bottom by itself, the front out-
wards, without any pedistal, and has a small box underneath which opens
by a spring for the convenience of carrying a small quantity of strings and
the like at the top, for the purpose of holding the tuning key. The body of
this instrument is a different shape to any yet ever invented, and will be
further described hereafter. This instrument consists of seventeen strings
marked C (two more may be added to the bass); some of these strings are
made of catgut, some of catgut and silk covered with wire, my Invention,
and some of silk covered with wire, seven of which strings are played upon
three different fingar-boards (marked with the letters D), with frets or bars on
them; the rest of the strings are fixed to the top of the neck of the instrument
to part of a machine, after the manner of the grand pedal harp, each string
passing between a fork for the purpose of altering the notes from their original
tone to the flat, sharp, or natural, performed by the other part of the machine
fixed near the fingar-board in the neck of the instrument called a pollice, and
which will be more particularly described hereafter. The great improvement of
this instrument is, that it has all the properties of the grand pedal harp as
well as that of the instrument the harp lute, and which is produced by the
construction of the body, and the machinery fixed to the top and neck of the
instrument now about to be described. The machine affixed to the neck and top
of the instrument (see Drawing marked X, X,) is made part of brass or other
metal, part steel, and part watch-spring, and is as follows:-―
The Figure 1 in the Drawing is a representation of the stud to support the
strings intended for the bass. 2, the fork between which the strings pass to alter
the note from its original tone to flat, sharp, or natural. 3, the arber to screw
into the fork. 4, the spring to attach to the arber, and fixed to a small pillar to
make the fork act. 5 is the small pillar, with a cavity to admit the spring, which
is fastened with a small pin. 6 is a representation of two of the pollice levers,
one with a straight end, and one bent. 7, the lever spring to catch the lever
to make the fork act,. which is performed by a pull with the thumb. 8, the
trigger to attach to the lever spring, which makes the fork act instantaneous
it being connected with the conductors hereafter described. 9. is a representa

page_text: ion of a pollice performed by pressure. 11 is a representation of the before-
mentioned sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, complete with the conductors and
cranks, as in the machine, it being a single action acting only on one of the
forks. 12, the like representation, with the conductors and cranks acting on
two of the forks, which may be increased to three or more. 13 is the like by
pressure and crank. 14, a representation of the seven pollices complete by
lever. 15, the like by pressure. B represents a ponte volante, or shifting bridge,
fixed at the bottom of the body of the instrument, and under which is à small
machine to touch the springs fixed to the string bridge, which make the
imitation of the bassoon. 16, a representation of the ponte volante off the
instrument. 17, the machine to imitate the bassoon. E represents the side of
the instrument, which is from the front to the back of a slanting position,
thereby making the back near one third less in size than the front.
F represents the back of the instrument, being flat on each side with the
middle round to improve the tone.
The next is my improvement on the Spanish guitar, now called by me
"The Ventura Guitar," and is represented by a complete Drawing of the
instrument marked with the letters K standing upright on a flat bottom
by itself, with the front outwards, without any pedistal; the top of the.
body at the bottom of the neck having on each side a half circle cut out.
for the convenience of the performer performing the very high notes on this
instrument. This instrument has seven strings, whereas the Spanish guitar
has only six. The seventh string is a longer string than any of the others,
and is attached to a machine called the diatonic, hereafter described, which
machine is fixed on the right side of the neck of the instrument at the ex-
tremity of the top. The neck of this instrument is hollow and not solid
as the Spanish guitar, and made of metal or hard wood to admit of the neces-
sary machinery (hereafter described), called the Venturini, to alter the tone of
six of the strings, the machine being fixed under the neck of the instrument
so as to act upon the six strings above the frets or bars of the fingar-board,
The Figures 20 is a representation of the machine called the Venturini. The
Venturini is made part of brass or other metal and part of steel, with three
moving pillars, with a small piece of metal or wood at the top lined underneath
with leather, with a hole in the middle to fix on the top of each pillar; the
three pillars moving at the same time by means of pressing a spring at the
back of the neck, with the thumb. 21 is one of the pieces to fix on the
pillar. 22 is one of the outside pillars, with a crank at the bottom. 23,
the middle pillar, with a double crank to move the three pillars at the same
time. 24, a bar attached to the cranks of the three pillars to make them

page_text: turn on a swivel. 25 is the back part of the Venturini representing the nut
which is pressed and the quarter circle that regulates the moving of the pillars
on the swivel. 26, the springs to raise and fall the Venturini by being pressed
with the thumb. The next is my diatonic machine before mentioned. 27 is
the trigger to the diatonic machine acting by a spring, which causes the
diatonic by another spring to catch and hold the seventh or long string, thereby
altering the tone from one note to another, or flat or sharp. 28, the spring to
the triggar. 29, the diatonic spring. 30, the diatonic. 31 is 27, 28, 29,
and 30 put together. 32 is a complete representation of the diatonic machine
complete. The letters L are representations of the ponte volante, and the small
machine under the ponte volante to imitate the bassoon, as in the harp
Ventura. 33 is a representation of the Venturini made in another way
to act upon the six strings by a turning lever. 34 is one of the turning
levers. 35, a representation of the neck of the instrument with the ends of
the turning levers outside the neck. 36, a representation of the back of the
instrument made round in the middle similar to the harp Ventura to improve
the tone.!
Be it further understood that I do not confine myself altogether to the shape
and make of my instruments, nor to the different machines herein described
as my Inventions, as the same will will admit of various modifications.
In witness whereof, I have set my hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of
August. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-eight
ANGELO BENEDETTO (L.S.) VENTURA.
AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Sixteenth day of August,
in the year of our Lord 1828, the aforesaid Angelo Benedetto Ventura
came our said Lord the King in His Chancery, and acknowledged the
Specification aforesaid, and all and every thing therein contained and specified,
in form above written. And also the Specification aforesaid was stamped
according to the tenor of the Statute made for that purpose.
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