423.213-71

Wooden ophicleide, eleven keys (Serpentcleide).

The serpentcleide combines the shape of the ophicleide with the construction techniques of the earlier serpent. It was invented in England in the 1840s, but no patent was ever filed, and the inventor's identity remains a mystery. An article in an 1846 edition of 'Musical World' attributes the instrument to Charles Hugget. The first edition of the 'Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians' (1880) gives the inventor as 'Beacham', while Brown and Stratton's 'British Musical Biography' (1897) claims the inventor was Thomas Macbean Glen.

object
MUSEUM NUMBER
1973.359
PLACE
COLLECTION
MEASUREMENTS
overall (mouthpiece inserted): 1108 x 405 x 145 mm
CATEGORY
Musical Instruments
SHAREABLE LINK

Continue exploring musical instruments

Collection Information

These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.

The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.

If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk