The Ophicleide
(C bass, Bb bass, and Eb contra bass ophicleides; picture from Contrabass; © 2000 Grant Green)
The Britannica Encyclopeidia states that this instrument is the "brass wind musical instrument with a cup-shaped mouthpiece and padded keys, the bass version of the old keyed bugle" ("Ophicleide" 965). Greek for ophis and kleid, meaning "serpent" and "key", the creation of the ophicleide corrected many of the mistakes and shortcomings of it's predecessor, the serpent. Jean Asté, a Parisian instrument maker, created the new addition of the brass family in 1817 (965). The ophicleide had a short time of popularity with its appearence in works by Mendelssohn, Berlioz, and Wagner (Phillips 2). Its time of fame was short-lived with the invention of the piston valve.
