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Description: | Serpents were often played in instrumental groups in English churches in the 18th and early 19th centuries. These bands accompanied the congregational singing, and the serpent was used to support the bass voices. Most of the church bands were later replaced with pipe organs, a development represented in fiction by Thomas Hardy in Under the Greenwood Tree. This serpent was played in the mid 19th century in the church band of 'Kelstone' (probably St. Nicholas' church, Kelston) near Bath. The bassoon (Horniman Museum number: 15.10.48/190) originated from the same church band.
Serpent. The wooden tube bound with black leather. The crook is of brass, as is the first coil, which is probably a later repair. The eleven brass keys are saddle mounted with round flat flaps and leather pads. Two keys are on the back. One key is mounted on a plate positioned across the second coil from the top. Two others are mounted on a plate across the third coil. Centrally-positioned metal stays support the three coils. The bell ferrule has a scalloped inner edge. A ring for a strap is mounted inside the lower coil close to the bell opening. The mouthpiece, which is probably not original, has a wide, shallow cup and a wide rim. | Publisher: | http://www.horniman.ac.uk/ | Subjects: | serpents wood brass leather | Source: | Horniman Museum | Identifier: | oai:oai.horniman.ac.uk:object-5748 |
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