Ophicleide

The early brass instrument known as the serpent was a recent focus on the Historic Brass blog. It would later evolve into the ophicleide (which roughly translates to "keyed serpent"). True to its etymology, the ophicleide is a bass instrument similar to the serpent but now instead of holes in the instrument, there are keys. The ophicleide was patented in 1821 by Jean Hilaire Asté (sometimes he is known as Halary or Haleri) who was an instrument maker in France.
Ophicleide

In my research, the name Tony George keeps reappearing as one of the foremost authorities on this instrument. Here he demonstrates an ophicleide. Search for ophicleide on YouTube and you will be rewarded with over four-thousand videos.



There were several distinct advantages which the ophicleide provided over the serpent. Ophicleides are made of metal and therefore louder than serpents. Second, the key system was easier to use than the holes because the keys were more ergonomically placed. Also, the keyed system (which was already taking place on keyed bugles) allowed for the tone holes to be placed in more accurate locations for pitch. The ophicleide was used in Mendelssohn's Elias and Overture to a Midsummer Night's Dream and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. For a time, it was the expected bass voice until the more conical tuba with its piston valves (or rotor valves) began to evolve.


Ophicleide

If you are in the market for a brand new ophicleide you are in luck! Wessex (and I am sure others) makes brand new ones. Period instruments are used frequently by discerning professionals and, as you can imagine, substituting a tuba for an ophicleide would not result in the tone quality originally sought/expected by a Mendelssohn or a Berlioz.

Ophicleides come in a variety of sizes (like saxhorns, serpents, etc.)
The nineteenth century was a very exciting time for instrument makers: for the woodwinds as well as the brass. Entire new families of instruments were invented and sprung up into common usage and provided new sonic capabilities. While some of these instrument families are rarely played today, they still serve as a milepost on the journey of music technology.

For more information about ophicleides visit www.contrabass.com or Wikipedia


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dodworth Saxhorn Band

Image
This post is about another period-specific group: The Dodworth Saxhorn Band. So you probably are familiar with the horn and are probably familiar with the saxophone - so what is a saxhorn? Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) was a Belgian inventor who contributed a lot to music throughout his innovations. The saxophone family, his invention, is named after him. He also influenced the development of the tuba and euphonium via other instruments like his saxhorns . Wikipedia  also has some interesting information. So, now that everyone knows about saxhorns, I would like to introduce the Dodworth Saxhorn Band. The Dodworth Saxhorn Band in period dress. The Dodworth Saxhorn Band  is modeled after a similarly-named Dodworth band that was well-respected ensemble whose heyday was in New York City from 1840 to 1880. This ensemble was reborn in 1985 thanks to the avid instrument collector Alexander Pollock. Today's Dodworth Saxhorn Band is based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The band only uses
Read more

Rayner Brown

Image
Rayner Brown was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1912. At age 14, Brown would move to California and live there for the rest of his life. He attended the University of Southern California where he completed a B.M. in organ and a M.M. in composition. He studied with Hanns Eisler and Lucien Cailliet. He would go on to teach at Biola University for thirty years until his retirement in 1977. Brown's primary instrument was the organ therefore he maintained various church positions as well some notable leader positions in organ guilds. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that much of his compositional output involves the organ. His catalogue includes over two-hundred compositions including a Requiem Mass for Winnie the Pooh. Throughout his career,  Brown was asked to compose numerous commissions, received multiple Ford Foundation grants and was even the recipient of ASCAP awards for a surprising fifteen years straight. Rayner Brown  passed away in 1999. The Music of Rayner Brown - Los Ang
Read more

Garden Rain - Toru Takemitsu

Image
Toru Takemitsu  (1930-1996) was a Japanese composer. He first heard Western art music when a military officer played a record for him and his fellow soldiers. After the war, in 1948, Takemitsu began studying composition with Kiyose. Takemitsu would remain largely self-taught in all things composition. Toru Takemitsu Takemitsu's greatest influences include Debussy and Messiaen. The timeless quality of their music can be heard in his music. Like them, he composed music with ambiguity: using modal melodies to mask the harmony for example. His 1957 Requiem caught the attention of Igor Stravinsky and this helped Takemitsu receive more recognition. Toru Takemitsu In 1964, he was invited to contribute to a series of lectures in Hawai'i by the East West Center. Another composer present, one who was a generation older than Takemitsu, was John Cage . The two exchanged many ideas but interestingly, Takemitsu was already employing some of Cage's most unique approaches: ind
Read more