There is little direct material or documentary evidence for the exact origin of the serpent. French historian
Jean Lebeuf claimed in his 1743 work ''Mémoires Concernant l'Histoire Ecclésiastique et Civile d’Auxerre'' that the serpent was invented in 1590 by Edmé Guillaume, a clergyman in
Auxerre, France, which is generally accepted. Some scholars propose that the serpent may have evolved from large, curved bass
cornetts that were in use in Italy in the 16th century, but the lack of knowledge of the serpent in early 17th century Italy, or surviving early serpents outside of France, counts against this idea. The serpent was certainly used in France since the early 17th century, to strengthen the
cantus firmus and bass voices of
choirs in
plainchant. This original traditional serpent was known as the or (). Around the middle of the 18th century, the serpent began to appear in
military bands,
chamber ensembles, and later in
orchestras. In England, particularly in the south, the serpent was used in
west gallery music played in
Church of England parish churches and village bands until the mid 19th century.
Military serpents Towards the end of the 18th century, the increased popularity of the serpent in
military bands drove the subsequent development of the instrument to accommodate
marching or
mounted players. In England, a distinct
military serpent was developed which had a more compact shape with tighter curves, added extra keys to improve its intonation, and metal braces between the bends to increase its rigidity and durability. In France around the same time several makers produced a initially developed by Piffault (by whose name they are also known) that arranges the tubing vertically with an upward turned bell, reminiscent of a
tenor saxophone.
Upright serpents and bass horns Several vertical configurations of the serpent, generally known as
upright serpents () or
bass horns, were developed from the late 18th century. Retaining the same six tone holes and fingering of the original serpent, these instruments resemble the
bassoon, with jointed straight tubes that fit into a short U-shaped butt joint, and an upward-pointing bell.
Basson russe Among the first of the upright serpents to appear around the turn of the 19th century was the , , although it was neither Russian nor a bassoon. The name is possibly a corruption of since they were taken up by the
Prussian army bands of the time. Many of these instruments were built in
Lyon and often had the
buccin-style decorative
zoomorphic bells popular in France at the time, shaped and painted like a dragon or serpent head. Appearing around the same time in military bands was the () which had a normal brass instrument bell, similar in flare to the later
ophicleide.
English bass horn The
English bass horn, developed by London-based French musician and inventor Louis Alexandre Frichot in 1799, had an all-metal V-shaped construction, described by German composer
Felix Mendelssohn as resembling a watering can. He admired its sound however, and wrote for the instrument in several of his works, including the overture to ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1826) and his fifth "Reformation" symphony (1830), although when the Overture'' was first published, the part was changed to ophicleide for unknown reasons. The bass horn was popular in civic and military bands in Britain and Ireland, and also spread back into orchestras in Europe, where it influenced the inventors of both the ophicleide and later the .
Early cimbasso The serpent appears as in early 19th century
Italian operatic scores by composers such as
Spontini,
Rossini, and
Bellini. It solved a perennial problem of the serpent, its difficult and indistinct B♮ notes. The instrument is built a semitone lower in B♮ and adds a large open tone hole that keeps the instrument in C until its key is pressed, closing the tone hole and producing a clear and resonant B♮. The instrument also has a unique , a double
tuning slide that (combined with adjusting the bocal) could change the pitch by up to a major second and allow the player to switch between the different
pitch standards of the time ( and ).
Contemporary revival The era of upright serpents was brief, spanning the first half of the 19th century from their invention to their replacement by the ophicleide and subsequent
valved brass instruments. German opera composer
Richard Wagner, by the 1869 première of his
Der Ring des Nibelungen cycle, was writing his lowest brass parts for tuba and contrabass trombone. Consequently, the serpent had all but disappeared from ensembles by 1900. The serpent has enjoyed a modern revival of interest and manufacture since the mid-20th century. Christopher Monk began building his own replica cornetts and serpents and playing them in
historically informed performances. In 1968 he and instrument maker Keith Rogers devised a method of constructing cornetts inexpensively from a composite wood-resin material, which helped to raise interest in these instruments and increase their availability. In 1976 he established the London Serpent Trio with English
Early Music Consort players Andrew van der Beek and Alan Lumsden, performing new works and historical arrangements, both serious and whimsical, throughout Europe and North America. At the same time in France, historical instrument specialist Bernard Fourtet and jazz musician
Michel Godard began promoting use of the serpent, and reintroduced serpent teaching at the
Conservatoire de Paris. Among the graduates are Volny Hostiou, who has recorded a significant serpent discography, and Patrick Wibart, also an accomplished ophicleide player. Wibart succeeded Godard as the serpent teacher at the Conservatoire de Paris, and also teaches serpent at the . The
Serpent Newsletter, first published in 1986 as the
Newsletter for United Serpents, is published twice a year and edited by Paul Schmidt. It reviews new recordings and publications, covers contemporary performances and events, as well as new discoveries, appearances in media and film, and other developments. == Range and performance ==