Modern Ophicleide

[djwesp]

I hate to be "that" guy.

Although listed as "ophicleide" these instruments ARE NOT ophicleide. The fundamental characteristics defining ophicleides are that they are conical and that they are KEYED.

The "modern ophicleide" although named as such is not an ophicleide. The root of the word ophicleide is even a direct construction of the words serpent and keys put together in Greek. The instruments shown are very close to, if not exactly the same as, a classification of tubas called "aufrecht wagner tuben" which literally translated is upright Wagner tubas (not to be confused with Wagner tubas, which have a much more open wrap, different key, and curved bell). Horns similar to these have been around for a very long time, and the innovation is very little.

... that being said, i'd love to have one of these to play with... wouldn't you guys?

[David Richoux]

There is a bit more explanation of the use of the term on their website - here. Since the instrument is designed to directly replace the Ophicleide tone quality with a valve instrument, it seems logical to call it a Valved Ophicleide. Similar horns were made in the late 1800s and were also called Valved Ophicleide.

[Wyvern]

I like it!

Pity no sound clips to hear it - that's what really matters - how it sounds.

[Kyle Turner]

Hello all.
I will be embarking on another recital tour with the Virtuoso Horn Duo, starting October 19th. I will be per forming 1 piece on the modern Ophicleide. I used this instrument at the Bard Music Festival with the American Symphony. The instrument was purchased by Leon Botstein, conductor of the ASO. As far as I know, I am the first person to play it in the U.S. It is pitched in F, and, for the most part, plays like one.
I am also launching a website, kyleturnertuba.com so look for that next week to see where I will be performing.

[imperialbari]

There is a bit more explanation of the use of the term on their website - here. Since the instrument is designed to directly replace the Ophicleide tone quality with a valve instrument, it seems logical to call it a Valved Ophicleide. Similar horns were made in the late 1800s and were also called Valved Ophicleide.

[Bob Kolada]

Looks like a stovepipe cimbasso to me!


Klaus, is that a sudrephone?

[imperialbari]

My original source called it an anonymous valved ophicleide.

Klaus

[hbcrandy]

What is the fundamental pitch of these instruments?

[imperialbari]

The nominal fundamentals of the most common ophicleides were C or Bb, but at least some versions could descend a semitone lower. Pitch names for keyed instruments often are odd. You can have C flutes with a B-natural foot. C piccolos have D as their lowest note, and the very common Bb clarinet really is an Eb instrument with a D foot.

Klaus

[Tuba Guy]

I think the pitch naming convention for woodwinds (at least what seems to make sense) is that their C determines what pitch they are (soprano clarinets, their C is a concert Bb, alto/bari sax-C is Eb, etc). If I remember my clarinet playing days well enough, the way they determine which note is a C is when all 7 fingers are down (LH123/RH1234)

[imperialbari]

I think the pitch naming convention for woodwinds (at least what seems to make sense) is that their C determines what pitch they are (soprano clarinets, their C is a concert Bb, alto/bari sax-C is Eb, etc). If I remember my clarinet playing days well enough, the way they determine which note is a C is when all 7 fingers are down (LH123/RH1234)

I don’t disagree with you about the main idea. Only your suggested fingering gives a written F in the first register of the clarinet.

Klaus

[Tuba Guy]

That is true. This led me (in my mind, when I started transposing) to think about the Eb register of the clarinet and the Bb register...still how I think about it

[J.c. Sherman]

A few things...

Klaus (sp?) your source is off; that photo is a Sudrephone. The giveaways are the wrap, Perinet valves, and - more importantly - the "mirliton" cylinder on the side of the bell throat. In fairness, without the mirliton, it's very similar.

Kyle: I'm curious; are you an ophicleidist? I'm interested in a comparison by a player with experience on both and the balance within an orchestra as well.

True 19th century Valved Ophicleides bear some resemblance to the Sudrephone pictured, the tight bottom bow, narrow flared bell, etc. They were originally three-valved (usually Vienna twin-pistons) instruments in F, basically with a modified crook and no holes. The Meucci article on Italian and Viennese Cimbassi and bass tubas is a must-read for this topic.

Proportionally, this looks like a Euphonium with a gentler taper - but that bell looks right off the euph mandrel, so I'm interested in how it sonically compares. I'd love to try it regardless - elegant instrument!

J.c.S.

[Kyle Turner]

It's a very nice unique sound. I played it quite a bit this past Summer with the American Symphony. It does have some Euphonium qualities, but it is definitely a warmer sound. When I played out on it, the sound really carried. I got lots of positive feedback on it. I will be taking it with me on my recital tour in 2 weeks. Check out the details and more pictures of it on my web site. http://www.kyleturnertuba.com" target="_blank

[David Richoux]

For those who wanted sound (althought these look like they might be "real" ophicleides):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUS-NJ8nSnI

For us poor souls who cannot remember YouTube ID sequences - how about giving the title of the clip along with the URL so we don't reopen "Ophicleide Summit in Berlin" for the eleventeenth time

By the way, one can actually easily embed a URL in its title by typing: Ophicleide Summit in Berlin or whatever text you want here, with or without spaces) and the forum software will do the rest.

Like this:

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUS-NJ8nSnI]Ophicleide Summit in Berlin[/url]

which will look like this when submitted:
Ophicleide Summit in Berlin

This works well for really long URLs so you don't have to use TinyURL.com or similar places that might eventually expire.

[Wyvern]

By the way, one can actually easily embed a URL in its title by typing: Ophicleide Summit in Berlin or whatever text you want here, with or without spaces) and the forum software will do the rest.

Like this:

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUS-NJ8nSnI]Ophicleide Summit in Berlin[/url]

Thanks for explaining that! I have been wanting to embed hyperlinks like that in some of my posts, but did not know how