Home
Background 
Carpet Gallery 
Brass Musical  Instrument Gallery
Antiques & Relics Gallery
Contact Info
Phil's Old and Odd Brass Collection:
US Civil War 1860-65 Band Instruments
Trumpets
Cornets
Flugels
Middle Brass
Mellophones
French  Horns
Trombones
Euphoniums And Tenor Tubas
Heavy Metal:
The Bass Tubas
Ceremonial
and Signal Horns
Other Wind Instruments
Phil's Wish List 
Brass Links to
Brass Resources and
Other Collections

Ode to the Ophicleide

The Ophicleide, like mortal sin
Was fostered by the serpent.
Its pitch was vague, its tone was din;
Its timbre rude and burpant.

Composers, in a secret vote,
Declared its sound non grata;
And that's why Wagner never wrote
An Ophicleide Sonata.

Thus spurned, it soon became defunct,
To gross neglect succumbing;
A few were pawned, but most were junked
Or used for indoor plumbing.

An so this ill wind, badly blown,
Has now completely vanished:
I nominated the saxophone
To be the next one banished.

Farewell, offensive Ophicleide,
Your epitaph is chiseled:
"I died of ophicleidicide:
I tried, alas, but fizzled!"

Opheclide in Bb   c.1845
The Opheclide served as a tenor/bass pitched transition instrument filling in between the keyless and keyed Serpents of the 1700s and the valved lower brass instruments of the mid 1800s. The concept of a keyed bass instrument apparently evolved from the keyed bugles which were first invented in 1817 in the UK.    The first Opheclide was patented in 1821 in France and a version was still listed in the French Cousenon catalog of 1910.   Essentially it is a tapered tube about 8 feet in length and pitched in Bb or C  with a bell about the size and shape of a modern alto or baritone horn.  They usually have 9 keys placed so the player can open and close a  single or combination of large holes in the tubing - using two hands- much like the saxophones of today- but with the air column vibrations coming from the players lips using a euphonium size mouthpiece.  The mouthpiece is fitted into a "Bocal".  Higher (alto) and lower (contrabasse) versions were also made.  This Ophicleide is not marked- but is thought to be French.

 The Ophie sound is not particularly mellow, but there are some ensembles who play period pieces using combinations of serpents, opheclides, sacbuts and other wind instruments.  scroll down for a photo showing a this Bb Ophie along with a shorter C Ophie.