Allen

Biography

Allen, working in London together with a partner named Thom, is credited by Dolge with devising in 1820 the first acceptable system of bracing pianos with iron tubes, addressing the long-standing problem of reinforcing the piano frame against rising string tension. Earlier attempts using metal tubes and bars as braces beneath and above the soundboard had produced no lasting results, and even the full iron frame patented by Hawkins in 1800 had failed. Allen and Thom's tube-bracing system proved workable, and the two subsequently sold their patent rights to Robert Stodart, who used it to construct a grand pianoforte capable of withstanding a string tension of 13,000 pounds. Dolge presents this transaction and the resulting instrument as an important early step on the road to the full iron frame that later became standard in piano construction. Allen, of London, is named jointly with a partner, Thom, as having patented in 1820 a grand piano possessing a complete metal framing system. This is presented by Dolge as an early milestone in the development of iron/metal bracing for the grand piano, preceding the iron-bar frames later built by the Erards and James Broadwood. No further biographical information is given.

Highlights

• With Thom, of London, patented a grand piano with a complete metal framing system in 1820
• Co-invented, with Thom, the first acceptable system of bracing pianos with iron tubes (London, 1820)
• Sold the patent rights to Robert Stodart

Source

Alfred Dolge, Pianos and Their Makers, Vol. I (1911), pp. 59, 69.

Public domain.