(09 



PIANO-FORTE. 



EraroTs Grand Action. 



PIANO-FORTE. 

 Wurnum't Patent Unique Action. 



510 



o, Key ; S, Lifter centred In the key and the hopper lever ; e. Hopper lever ; 

 eld. Hopper ; e. Hammer sustaining lever ; /, Stop for e ; g. Hopper 

 button ; A, Butt for the hopper to hit against ; * i, Two small wire clops 

 acting upon e ; k Is, Hopper and sustaining spring; /, Check; m m, 

 Balance weights of lead ; n. Damper ; 0, Hammer ; p. Hammer rail. 



Wornum't Grand Action, bated on the Piccolo Action 



a, Key ; 6, Hopper and spring ; c, Hammer ; tt. Check ; e. Button to set oft* 

 the hopper ; /, Hopper lever ; g. Tie attached to the butt of the hammer ; 

 A, Sustaining spring linked to the end of the tie, ai.d fixed in the front end 

 of the hopper lever, the ruing of which puta the sustaining spring in 

 action. This spring gives the pi-inn blow and assists in the f'-rte and 

 repetition ; i i, Damper and fixings ; *, Hammer ruler and back touch ; /, 

 'Wood spring to set up the nippers. 



Zeitter'i Grand Action. 



n. Her ; i. Hopper, which works in the key with what Is called n Hrii'n 

 nmalt ; r, Escapement port of the hopper ami the setting off Is effected In the 

 button working in the arched part above- it, t, ; il. Button and wire; e. Arch 

 In which the button act* ; /, Hopper spring ; g. Hammer ; A, Cheek ; 

 i, Damper ; *. Damper crank ; /, Dnmpcr pedal action ; m m, Bail and 

 locket ; n, Hammer rail. 



Some of the above-named makers bare patented still more recent 

 actions for grand piano-fortes, as also have other makers not here 

 named. 



The upi-irjkt piano-forte was, doubtless, taken from the upright 

 harpsichord ; it was the invention of an Englishman of the name of 

 Hancock, a musical instrument maker resident in some part of West- 

 minster, tie was a man of much ingenuity, and produced several 

 varieties in keyed instrument* ; amongst which we find the oryanittd 

 piano-fiirte, the portable grand piano-forte, and an instrument, also a 

 piano-forte, in the shape of a tpinnet The portable grand, in its day, ' 

 was a successful and desirable instrument, but has long since been 

 superseded by instruments of the kind called kit grand*, boiuloir grands, 

 ' grands, and terni grands. The next novelty was the invention of 

 John Isaac Hawkins, who constructed an upright instrument with a 

 detached sound board in an iron frame ; and the whole was so arranged 

 as to be able to meet the atmosphere with compensating powers. In 

 the bass it had spiral or helical strings, by which length was gained ; 

 and, in the treble, three octaves of equal tension were accomplished by 

 a uniform size of wire. It was patent' d, but did not take with the 

 public sufficiently to come into notice. Following Hawkins we had 

 William Southwell, who patented an improvement in upright piano- 

 fortes, and gave it the name of the fiuin.t j,i,i,to-forte. The name still 

 remains amongst us, but the invention has long since been superseded 

 and laid aside. The unique piano-forte was introduced about fifty 

 years ago by Messrs. Wilkinson and \Vornum, and was the invention 

 and patent of the hitter. This instrument met the taste of the day 

 for instruments of little altitude; it did not stand higher than three feet 

 three tncha, and the strings were all placed diagonally towards the 

 floor. The action was simple and effective, but it it not now under 

 manufacture. 



Fig;. 11. 



a, Key ; 4, Hopper ; c, String j rf, Hammer rail ; t, Hammer ; /, Damper 

 and wire; y, Damper rail : h, Ruler ; t'i, Springs. 



Numerous inventions and improvements appeared from time to time. 

 One of these was Mr. Wornum's double or piccolo action, applicable to 

 both upright and horizontal instruments ; and another was the cottage 

 form, now so much in use. 



DouMf. or Piccolo Action- 



Fig. 11. 



a, Key ; 4, Hopper and spring ; c, Hammer ; d. Hummer i ull ; e, Tie and 

 wire; /, Check ; g g. Damper and wire ; /i, Setting off screw. 



There are many things relating to the piano-forte which we have not 

 touched upon. There are also some foreign actions to which we have 

 not given much attention, especially those called dmm-itriking actions. 

 Other inventions, too, such as Mr. Litherland's patent helical springs 

 to preserve the tuning, Mr. Kiley's transposing instrument, Mr. Mott's 

 sostinente, Mr Kirkman's octave string, and Mr. John Trotter's alter- 

 nated key-board, have all given place to other things, and are no 

 longer known to the present generation of musical people. Mr. Lither- 

 land's plan was a well-tempered hiliail *prittfl, which was to be attached 

 to the loop of the string ; thus, aa the string contracted the spring gave 

 way, or as it expanded the spring collapsed, by which the pitch of the 

 string was retained and the tuning consequently preserved. It was 

 never adopted to any great extent, but had its admirers : a want of 

 firmness in the tone was perhaps its greatest defect. Mr. RilcyV plan 

 for transposition was simply a double set of keys, one sliding under the 

 other, by which music might be played from the same scale a note or 

 notes hiifher or lower. It was purchased by Messrs. Broad wood, and is 

 now laid aside. It never was calculated to be of service to the practice of 

 music ; neither did it introduce any new or valuable idea to the 

 mechanic. Mr. Mott's siatinente was an application of a cylinder and 

 silk loops to an upright piano-forte. The loops were attached to the 

 strings, and the cylinrler, which was mover! by the foot, as it wore 

 bowed them, and the tones came forth somewhat like the tones of the 

 seraphine. Under Mr. Mott's fingers, this instrument was capable of 

 most pleasing effects ; but without such aid, we never esteemed the 

 invention. Mr. Kirkman's octave airing was applied as the third string 



