Serpent

What it means

The serpent is a historical bass wind instrument with a characteristically snake-shaped wooden body covered in leather. It is sounded like a brass instrument through a cup mouthpiece, while its tone holes are covered with the fingers as on a woodwind instrument.

The winding shape served to compress the very long tube length needed for low notes into a manageable instrument, without spacing the finger holes impossibly far apart.

Musical use

The serpent originated in sixteenth-century France, initially to support Gregorian chant in churches, where it powerfully reinforced the bass line with a sustaining sound, and was later also used in military bands and occasionally in the orchestra.

In the nineteenth century the serpent was increasingly displaced by newer, valved bass instruments such as the ophicleide and eventually the tuba, which offered more even intonation and simpler playing technique, but it survived in the historically informed performance of early music.

The serpent should be distinguished from the ophicleide, its direct successor with keys instead of open finger holes, and from the tuba, which as a more modern, valved instrument ultimately took over the serpent's role entirely.

Performance practice

Practice the unusual combination of a brass embouchure with woodwind fingering technique deliberately, since both must be mastered simultaneously on the serpent. Expect less precise intonation than on modern valved instruments, and correct pitches deliberately with the embouchure.