[Dixielandjazz] Bechet's Main Instrument

[David Richoux]

If what you saw in the museum case were labeled as sarrusophones   
then I would be suspicious of the curators. Ophicleides,  
Sarrusophones, and Saxophones look very similar at first glance. They  
all have keys and pads, are brass, folded conical shape in a variety  
of sizes with relatively small bells. Opheclides have cupped (trumpet/ 
trombone) mouthpieces, sarrusophones have double-reed (bassoon)  
mouthpieces, and saxes have single-reed mouthpieces.
Putting a different class of mouthpiece on any of them would be an  
easy thing to do.

Serpents are a whole different animal (and don't even ask about  
Russian Bassoons!)

David Richoux

On Nov 15, 2007, at 3:40 AM, ROBERT R. CALDER wrote:

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> The only sarrusophones I have ever seen (in museums as well as in  
> photographs) had trumpet mouthpieces. I never got my hands on one  
> (glass cases tend to be locked). It never occurred to me that a  
> reed mouthpiece could be used. I certainly didn't confuse it with a  
> serpent.  I have seen them in adjacent glass cases and fortunately  
> they had made no attempts to intertwine.
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