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Other Names: Bass cornet |
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Type: Brass (?) or wind |
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Origin: 1590 A.D., in Auxerre |
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In Redwall: N/A |
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Appearance: The bass cornett was certainly a
strange looking instrument, the predecessor to the tuba. It had a
brass mouthpiece, deeply cupped, and the wooden body of the instrument was
an ever-widening tube in a convoluted, winding shape that prompted the
nickname of "serpent." There were six finger holes on the serpent's body,
and no thumb holes. It was usually made from several fairly short
pieces joined together and covered with leather; other times, glued up from
two complete halves of hollowed out blocks of wood. |
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Use: The serpent had up to three octaves, and
its various pitches were determined by fingerings and by the tenseness of
the mouth when the lips were buzzed to create sound. Flats and sharps
were reached by covering a finger hole partway. It took a lot of
practice to get a good sound out of the bass cornet, as every note was
dependant on the correct embouchure and pitch accuracy. |
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Listen to a
Serpent |
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