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COLLARD & COLLARD
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"MR. COLLARD'S PATENT. - A Patent (for the United Kingdom) for
Improvements on Piano Fortes has been recently obtained by Mr. W. F.
Collard, of the House of Clementi, Collard, and Co. London.
The object of Ma. Collard's invention is however general, and it imparts
not only a new and richer degree of tone, but it submits a choice of
fresh varieties and degrees to the player, which can hardly fail to call
forth novel and beautiful effects in performance.
The mechanism used having been already brought to a very high degree of
excellence, it seemed manifest that if the qualities sought after could
at all be produced to the extent desired, they must either result from a
new construction of the soundboard, or from the mode of applying the
strings, or from both means combined. The improvement that is the basis on which the other is founded, is an additional bridge on the sound-board, not for the purpose of regulating musical intervals, but of augmenting the duration of the vibration, and consequently increasing and beautifying the tone. This bridge, which he calls "the bridge of reverberation," is placed at a regulated distance on the sound-board; and the important advantage resulting from it is, that the motion given to the principal part of the string by the impulse of the hammer is kept up by the bridge of reverberation, instead of being suddenly checked by an attachment to an unyielding substance.
The prolonged vibration produces an extraordinary purity, power, and
continuity of sound somewhat resembling the richness of an octave below. The performer, by lifting a valve, is enabled to elicit those harmonious sounds through a well-known sympathetic relation between accordant strings, without touching those portions of the strings which produce them. The augmentation of sound caused by this means resembles in some measure the effect of lifting the dampers, but without producing the same confusion, since every note on the body of the instrument is regularly damped as the performer lifts his finger.
By this apparatus a threefold power of augmenting the sound is acquired;
whereas instruments of the common construction have but the one caused
by lifting the dampers. That which we heard appeared to us to produce the kind of prolonged tone which arises in a room of fine resonance, and the power was certainly vastly augmented. Upon the whole, the inventor seems to have accomplished far more than could have been expected after the very high state of improvement the piano forte had already attained." The Quarterly Musical Magazine and Review vol. III, 1821, p. 318-320 - or - Atheneum, Or, Spirit of the English Magazines, Volume 10, 1821, p. 284-285
At the suggestion of cerain eminent musicians, a celebrated mathematician some years since directed his attention to enriching the tone of piano fortes by the aid of harmonics; but his designs were never carried into effect. Clementi and Co., by their present patent invention, obtain this desirable improvement, at the addition of a comparatively trifling cost. By the "BRIDGES OF REVERBERATION," the strings have the effect of being fixed, like those of the harp, to the sound-board itsel, finstead of being checked by an immediate attachment to a solid substance. This contrivance not only produces a more equal and rich flow of vibration, but takes away the whistling of the large steel strings, so common and often so disagreeable in grand piano fortes on the usual construction. It also gives the great advantage of turning all those portions of the strings beyond the original bridge, which were before useless, to the augmentation and perfection of the tone produced on the main body of the instrument, by means of the «HARMONIC SWELL». In expressive movements and legato passages the addition of the harmonics, independent of the beauty of sound, procures an advantage which must be obvious to every one, since it effects that continuity of vibration which, somewhat like the bow of a violin, makes one note glide into another; and as this effect is produced without at all interfering with the dampers, the bass may be played staccato whilst the treble is played legato, and vice versa.
The whole volume of tone called forth by the harmonic swell and damper pedal
combined, is at extraordinary richness and power and in passages requiring
bold contrast, dramatic energy, or sustained grandeur, will be found of
singular efficacy.
The mechanism used having been already brought to a very high degree of
excellence, it seemed manifest that if the qualities sought after could at
all be produced to the extent desired, they must either result from a new
construction of the soundboard, or from the mode of applying the strings, or
from both means combined.
The object of Mr. COLLARD'S invention is however general, and it imparts not
only a new and richer degree of tone, but it submits a choice of fresh
varieties and degrees to the player, which can hardly fail to call forth,
novel and beautiful effects in performance.
This bridge, which he calls the bridge of reverberation,' is placed at a
regulated distance on the sound-board; and the important advantage resulting
from it is, that the motion given to the principal part of the string by the
impulse of the hammer, is kept up by the bridge of reverberation, instead of
being sud denly checked by an attachment to an unyielding substance. The
prolonged vibration produces an extraordinary purity, power, and continuity
of sound, somewhat resembling the richness of an octave below.
The augmentation of sound caused by this means, resembles in some measure
the effect of lifting the dampers, but without producing the same confusion,
since every note on the body of the instrument is regularly damped as the
performer lifts his finger. By this apparatus a threefold power of
augmenting the sound is acquired; whereas instruments of the common
construction have but the one caused by lifting the dampers. That which we heard appeared to us to produce the kind of prolonged tone which arises in a room of fine resonance, and the power was certainly vastly augmented. Upon the whole, the inventor seems to have accomplished far more than could have been expected, after the very high state of improvement the piano-forte had already attained." The Monthly Magazine, 01/11/1821, p. 342-344 and Spirit of the English Magazines, 11/1821, p. 284-285
"In some of Clementi's self-acting piano-fortes the mechanical powers of the instrument extend to eighteen tunes. There is generally a set of keys, as in a common piano; so that the instrument can also be played in the usual way by the fingers." Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, 16/02/1839 p. 64
But the attention which their creative labours, as displayed in various instrumental constructions, drew to their manufactory, has been greatly increased by their very novel invention of a self-acting piano-forte. This curious instrument, furnished with a horizontal cylinder, similar to that of a barrel-organ, and put into motion by a steel-spring, performs without external force or manual operation, the most intricate and difiicult compositions; and, by comprising in its mechanism two complete instruments, each independent of the other, it admits, while the operation of the self-actuated intrument is proceeding within, of a distinct accompaniment on the keys without, which occupy the usual place in front, and may be played on at pleasure, with or without the self-acting part of the machine. This first instrument of its kind, when the spring is fully wound up, will act for more than half an hour, and may he again prepared for performance in half a minute; and, if required, stopped in an instant, while in full action.
The time in which it
executes any movement, may be accelerated or retarded, at pleasure: and
while, by the delicacy and perfection of the mechanism, the piano and
the forte passages are given with correctness and effect, the fortzandi
and diminuandi are produced, by the slightest motion of the hand applied
to a sliding ball at the side of the instrument. When we consider the
state of the piano-forte as originally constructed, — its thin, wiry,
jangling tone, inaffective weakness, and other numerous imperfections,
and witness the complicated beauties and powers of this self-acting
instrument, we must be both delighted and surprised, — and almost be
persuaded, that to ingenuity, science, and industry, no excellence in
musical mechanism is unattainable."
Concert room and orchestra anecdotes of music and
musicians: ancient and modern, 1825, p. 95-97
1828 ON A NEW CONSTRUCTION OF PIANO-FORTES.
The plan of employing one large string to each note of the piano-forte, upon which the Parisians also dilate largely, is another invention, if it may be so called, likewise derived from this country. Lord Stanhope was amongst the first who made this attempt, but the false and crazy tone rendered by the treble strings, particularly when so enlarged as to produce the quantity of tone required, was an insurmountable obstacle to its success. This is precisely the case with respect to the French instruments; and those made in this country with strings of less diameter, although not so loud, are of very superior purity.
In the French square
piano, in order to apply the mechanism used in grand pianos, the
manufacturers are obliged to place the hammers diagonally to the
direction of the key, and this sidelong motion is a great defect. The case of the square piano-forte is somewhat larger than those usually made, and varied from their usual form, not from necessity, but to improve the elegance of its appearance. The sound-board is prolonged over the whole internal surface of the instrument, in order to increase and enrich the tone. One important improvement is effected in the mode of applying the damper, the wire of which does not pass down immediately next the strings it is intended to damp, but is placed beyond the two succeeding semitones higher up the instrument, and the damper head is made longer, so as to reach over to the note to which it | is applied.
By this important
change, sufficient space is 32 left between the hammer head and the
damper wire to introduce the grand piano-forte check, to arrest the
hammer in its descent, and prevent its reverberation against the
strings. The object of this is to prevent the distortion of the fibres of the wire by twisting, which often makes them false, to obviate the giving of the wire at the noose, and to avoid the frequent snapping of the string at the twist. Not with standing that both unisons are made by one continuous wire, yet such is the tenacity caused by the friction on the single hitch pin, that one of the unisons may be lowered several semitones without in the least affecting the pitch of the other.
So great is the
advantage gained by this mode of applying the strings, that a string is
seldom or never known to break; it is brought up to its pitch almost
instantaneously, and a person who has never before put a string on a
piano-forte may do it without the smallest difficulty. The tone is rich, and of a volume approximating to that of a grand piano-forte. The vibration is prolonged and pure, and highly calculated for expressive as well as brilliant playing. The touch is in every respect equal to that of a grand piano-forte, and it is from these two qualities of tone and touch, that, we apprehend, the proprietor of this invention has styled the instrument "grand square piano-forte." It is an instrument well calculated to attract the attention of those who are unwilling to be at the expense of a grand piano-forte, or whose rooms would be too much incumbered by its size, for no professor would hesitate to perforin a composition requiring great power of instrument on such a one as we have described, the tone and touch of which cannot fail to satisfy any performer.
The same makers have
manufactured a few of these instruments of larger dimensions, by which a
greatly increased volume of tone has been obtained; and having also
applied metal centres to the hammers, they still more approach the
perfection of the grand pianoforte."
The Harmonicon, 1828, p. 31
1847
COLLARD
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