[CAUT] Sostenuto mounting (was Re: Forum format)

[Fred Sturm]

	I tried a different browser, and was able to see the images of the  
other pages (displayed as TIFF files). The text seems to confirm what  
I had inferred: The sostenuto rod is mounted to the bellyrail in the  
1875 patent, and the 1916 patent does not seem to mention mounting,  
referring only to hinged tabs. (I have to admit I skimmed the text).
Regards,
Fred Sturm
University of New Mexico
fssturm at unm.edu



On Jul 18, 2008, at 2:21 PM, Fred Sturm wrote:

> On Jul 18, 2008, at 1:12 AM, David Ilvedson wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know if the NY Steinway Sost system or the Hamburg Sost  
>> system came first?
>
> 	The patent for sostenuto dates way back to 1874 - for a square of  
> all things, then adapted to uprights and grands in 1875. The  
> Steinway site has what appears to be a complete listing of Steinway  
> patents, unfortunately just titles, dates, brief description, and  
> patent number. Searching the US Patent office http://www.uspto.gov/patft/ 
>  under patent number 164,052, I found a drawing that seems to show a  
> bellyrail mounted system. There is another sostenuto patent in 1916,  
> which appears to be for the hinged tab, though the picture may imply  
> mounting to the action bracket. I had some problems with viewing  
> some of the images (there were supposedly four pages of drawings for  
> the 1916 one, but I was only able to view one. No text for patents  
> that old). Maybe someone else will have better luck.
> 	In any case, it appears that what Steinway initially invented for  
> the grand piano was belly mounted, and that at some later point they  
> switched to the current NY action mounted system.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico
> fssturm at unm.edu
>
>