Klarinet Archive - Posting 000718.txt from 1998/02

From: Roger Shilcock <roger.shilcock@-----.uk>
Subj: Re: Ophicleide?
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 04:54:48 -0500

It was definitely made of brass. There were intermediate-type instruments
which were effectively bassoon-shaped serpents, called things like
"Russian bassoon", "Bass horn" [just to confuse everyone] and "Serpent de
Forveille" (sp??).
. These are said to have had better scales than the serpent, presumably
because the holes could be placed better.
Roger Shilcock

On Thu, 19 Feb 1998, Robin Fairbairns wrote:

> Date: Thu, 19 Feb 1998 09:24:27 +0000
> From: Robin Fairbairns <Robin.Fairbairns@-----.uk>
> Reply-To: klarinet@-----.us
> To: klarinet@-----.us
> Subject: Re: Ophicleide?
>
> > Actually, it is a "keyed serpent." The old serpent is essentially the bass
> > version of the cornet, a "brass" instrument with fingerholes. The serpent
> > has a cup-shaped mouthpiece, like a brass instrument, and six fingerholes.
> > The fingerholes are positioned more "where you can reach them" than "where
> > they do the most good, acoustically", which makes the instrument very hard
> > to play in tune.
>
> the only serpent i've ever played with was definitely made of wood --
> are you suggesting that it was a `brass' instrument (as were the
> ophicleids on the japanese web address posted yesterday), or simply as
> in its rather gross `brass-instrument-type' mouthpiece?
>
> thurston dart told our music club sec. that our trombonist "would have
> no trouble with it". our trombonist had different ideas...
>
> robin
>