Francis Ramacciotti

Template:Short description Francis Ramacciotti (c. 1826 Livorno, Grand Duchy of Tuscany – 13 June 1891 Manhattan)Template:Sfn was a Grand Duchy of Tuscany-born inventor who founded a major piano string manufacturer in the United States.

Career

Ramacciotti was reportedly associated with Garibaldi and held a military rank. Ramaciotti immigrated to the US in 1848, moving to Buffalo, New York. He apprenticed in a piano company in Buffalo before founding his own piano string company, the F. Ramacciotti company, in 1852. While in Buffalo, Ramociotti played bassoon as a member of the Metropolitan Theater Orchestra under the direction of Albert Benjamin Poppendorf (1819–1900).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Ramacciotti – on June 12, 1952, in Buffalo – married Rachel Caroline Rendt (maiden; 1833–1914) of Detroit. The couple had five children: (i) Italo Francis Ramacciotti (1853–1911), (ii) Hugo Louis Ramacciotti (1855–1907), (iii) Alberto "Albert" De M. Ramacciott (1857–1926), (iv) Eugenia W. Ramacciotti (1860–1938; married to Edward G. Johnson), and (v) Emma Serena Ramacciotti (1869–1963; married to Milton Lockwood Bouden; 1866–1938).

In 1867, Ramaciotti moved his company to New York City. He invented and patented the first modern bass string for the piano. Previous piano strings used iron winding over iron. This modern invention using a special new machine used copper wound over iron. The company was one of the top makers of piano strings in the world for several decades.

In 1891, Francis Ramacciotti died. His son Albert took over the company the next year. Albert expanded it to one of the three top string makers in the nation.

Selected patents

1883: US 280512 A – "Spinning Lathes for Winding Piano-Strings."Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn

1893: US 508974 A – "Machine for Swaging Wire for Musical Instruments."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

1902: US 740918 A – "Bass String for Pianos or Other Musical Instruments."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Bibliography

References

Inline

The Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office

• 1883: US 280512 A –

• 1893: US 508974 A –

• 1903: US 740918 A –

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General

• Template:Catalog lookup link, 5133516, 220487569.
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• Template:LCCN; Template:Catalog lookup link & 2903021.

"One day a foreman in the Ramacciotti plant, John —, who had been a boy apprentice when" ... "that was the end of the New York Cooperative Piano String Co."

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		Estab- lished
National Music String Co.	Strings	—	New Brunswick
Celluloid Piano Key Co.	Keys	1876	New York
Tingue, Brown & Co.	Felts	1901	New York
Ramacciotti F.	Strings	1867	New York
Schirmer, Charles	Hardware	1866	New York

• Template:LCCN; Template:Catalog lookup link.

" ... Francesco Ramacciotti, who died June 13, [1894]." "The lodge met in a hall corner of Third Avenue and Eighty-Sixth Street." "Ramacciotti joined the lodge in 1871 ... "

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"Ramacciotti F. Inc, 421 W. 28th St. — Manuf. of Piano Wire and Bass Strings — Panels."

"The sworn statement of Francis Ramacciotti, dated January 21, 1915, covering bass strings ... "

Note: The petitioner, Albert Francis (Alberto "Albert" De M. Ramacciotti; 1857–1926), was Francis Ramacciotti's son.