[Dixielandjazz] Sarrusophones

[Tom Belmessieri]

Thanks, "Jim".  Searching on-line about this, the "opheclide" was spelled 
this way.  You know the fingerings well.  Do you play it?  How many octaves 
does it have?

Tom B.

-----------
>From: "Jim O'Briant" <jobriant at garlic.com>
>To: <Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>Subject: RE: [Dixielandjazz] Sarrusophones
>Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 20:01:48 -0800
>
>Tom Belmessieri wrote:
>
> > Thanks for the info. Joe.
>
>It's probably more than anyone really wanted to know, but you're welcome!
>
> > Is this instrument similar to the opheclide, an 1850
> > French instrument that uses a mouthpiece similar to
> > that of the trombone or baritone?  They look similar
> > except for the mouthpiece.
>
>There's only a superficial similarity of appearance.  Both stand upright
>like a bassoon; both are made of brass; both have pads resembling those on 
>a
>Saxophone.
>
>As you mention, one major difference is that the Sarrusophone produces 
>sound
>through the vibration of a double reed (or single reed using the substitute
>mouthpiece), whereas the Ophicleide produces sound through the vibration of
>the player's embouchure in a cup mouthpiece, approximately the same as a
>trombone or euphonium mouthpiece.
>
>The other principal difference is that the Sarrusophone's fingerings make
>sense and the Ophicleide's fingerings don't.
>
>As mentioned in an earlier note, Sarrusophone fingerings are very much like
>Saxophone fingerings.  Most individual tone holes default to the "open"
>position, and depressing the key closes the hole.  As the player raises or
>lowers fingers in order, from top to bottom and back up, in general, the
>pitch goes from high to low to high.
>
>On the Ophicleide, all tone holes save one default to the "closed" 
>position.
>Opening each pad in order, moving from the bell toward the mouthpiece,
>raises the pitch by 1/2 step.  But the mechanism is wholly unsophisticated,
>so to play an ascending chromatic scale one depresses keys with the
>following fingers, in this order (for an Ophicleide in C):
>
>C     - No fingers depressed
>C#/Db - Left Middle Finger
>D     - Left Middle Finger + Left Thumb
>D#/Eb - Add Left Ring Finger
>E     - Add Right Thumb & First Finger
>F     - Add Right Little Finger
>F#/Gb - Add Right Ring Finger
>
>...and so on and so forth.
>
>I maintain that Sax and Boehm developed their fingering systems because 
>they
>saw how terrible the Ophicleide was.  (Incidentally, the Ophicleide is 
>older
>than you suggest; it was invented in 1819 and Patented in 1821.)
>
>The two instruments also produce very different sounds.  Well-played, an
>Ophicleide can sound rather like a baritone or euphonium, but a little less
>mellow and with less projection.  Poorly played, it can sound rather like a
>cow in misery.
>
>As of the tone of the Sarrusophone, another website says this:
>
>"The tone of the sarrusophone is less clear but much more reedier than that
>of the saxophone. In humorous terms, the sarrusophone can be said to sound
>rather 'industrial' or perhaps 'unrefined.'"
>
>To me, that's not only humorous, it's also quite charitable.
>
>But I've never heard a Sarrusophone before this past weekend, and so I 
>can't
>comment on whether other players sound like what we all heard, or sound
>better, or sound worse.  Also, I can't comment on what a Sarrusophone 
>sounds
>like when played with a double rather than a single reed.
>
>Bill Gunter wrote:
>
> > ... I will henceforth regard the instrument with more
> > respect and instead of making rude and thoughtless
> > remarks about the sarrusonphone's overall ugliness
> > in appearance and sound I will simply shoot Pete Main!
>
>Please don't do that.  He seems like such a nice person.
>
>Jim O'Briant
>Tuba (& Ophicleide & Serpent & other stuff)
>Gilroy, CA
>
>
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