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The Serpent is so named from its winding S shape. Made from wood, usually maple, with a cup-shaped ivory or horn mouthpiece mounted on a metal crook the instrument features a conical bore with six finger-holes (and no thumb-hole). The Serpent can be large, around 2m long (one instrument built by the Wood Brothers in 1840 contained nearly 4.8m of tubing) and has a deep, voice like tone.
The first Serpent is believed to have been invented by Canon Edme Guillaume of Auxerre in about 1590 as an improvement to the bass Cornett. The instrument was originally played in churches where its tone blended perfectly with the mens chorus. By the 17th Century the Serpent could be heard in ensembles and orchestras and eventually in English and German military bands where it was known as the Serpent Militaire. The instrument eventually fell into disuse with the invention of the valved Tuba in the 1830s. |
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