Serpent (translated from French - snake) - an old wind musical instrument, which got its name due to the serpentine curved shape. The first information about him refers to XVI century. France is considered the birthplace of the serpent. It was there that the first tool was designed. His "father" was Guillaume Edme, an employee of the Bishop of Amyota. The first serpent player known to have been recorded was Michel Tornatoris, who in 1602 received a position as a musician at Notre Dame Cathedral in Avignon.

A serpent was made from wood. The body was covered with leather to protect against shocks and temperature changes. The sound was extracted using a bowl-shaped mouthpiece, which was originally made of ivory or animal bones, and later of metal. In the Russian national museum music there are two serpents. The instrument of the 18th century has four playing holes in the body. Another serpent from the beginning of the 19th century, already equipped with several valves. Partially opening the holes, the performer could extract chromatic sounds.

The sound of the serpent reached great strength, but was rough and intonationally unstable. A good ear was required to play the serpent, as it was very difficult to play it cleanly. The appearance of valves only exacerbated the problem. The 18th-century music critic Charles Burney compared the sound of a serpent in unskilled hands to "the roar of an extremely hungry, if not angry, calf." The instrument was used in military brass bands, as well as in church music, as a “support” for basses in a church choir. Hector Berlioz wrote on this occasion that "the sonority of the serpent, truly barbaric, would be much better suited to the bloodthirsty beliefs of the Druids than to the church rites of the Catholic religion."

IN late XVIII century in an improved form (with 3-4 valves), the serpent was introduced by Francois Gossec to the symphony orchestra as a bass instrument. Many composers, including Gioacchino Rossini, Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, included the serpent in the scores of their works. The only known example of the use of the serpent in Russia is the music by Vasily Pashkevich, Giuseppe Sarti and Carlo Cannobio for the dramatic performance "Oleg's Primary Administration" to the text of Catherine II.

In the 2nd half of the 19th century, the instrument fell into disuse. One of the reasons for the decline in popularity of the serpent was the desire to increase its range and use it as a solo instrument, which did not correspond to its nature.

Serpent Serpent

A good ear was required to play the serpent, as playing it cleanly was a big problem. The appearance of valves only exacerbated the problem. The 18th-century music critic Charles Burney compared the sound of a serpent in unskilled hands to "the roar of an extremely hungry, if not furious, Essex calf."

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• // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

An excerpt characterizing the Serpent

- Well, goodbye! Pyotr Kirillovich, it seems? Farewell, Pyotr Kirillovich! other voices said.
“Goodbye,” said Pierre and went with his bereator to the inn.
"We must give them!" thought Pierre, reaching for his pocket. “No, don’t,” a voice told him.
There was no room in the upper rooms of the inn: everyone was busy. Pierre went into the yard and, covering himself with his head, lay down in his carriage.

As soon as Pierre laid his head on the pillow, he felt that he was falling asleep; but suddenly, with the clarity of almost reality, a boom, boom, boom of shots was heard, groans, screams, the slap of shells were heard, there was a smell of blood and gunpowder, and a feeling of horror, fear of death seized him. He opened his eyes in fear and lifted his head from under his overcoat. Everything was quiet outside. Only at the gate, talking to the janitor and slapping through the mud, was some kind of orderly. Above Pierre's head, under the dark underside of the plank canopy, doves fluttered from the movement he made while rising. A peaceful, joyful for Pierre at that moment, strong smell of an inn, the smell of hay, manure and tar was poured throughout the courtyard. Between the two black awnings one could see a clear starry sky.
“Thank God that this is no more,” thought Pierre, again closing his head. “Oh, how terrible fear is, and how shamefully I gave myself up to it! And they…they were firm, calm all the time, to the very end…” he thought. In Pierre's understanding, they were soldiers - those who were on the battery, and those who fed him, and those who prayed to the icon. They - these strange, hitherto unknown to him, they were clearly and sharply separated in his thoughts from all other people.
“To be a soldier, just a soldier! thought Pierre, falling asleep. – Enter this common life with your whole being, imbue with what makes them so. But how to throw off all this superfluous, diabolical, all the burden of this external person? One time I could be it. I could run away from my father as I wished. Even after the duel with Dolokhov, I could have been sent as a soldier.” And in Pierre's imagination flashed a dinner at the club where he summoned Dolokhov, and a benefactor in Torzhok. And now Pierre is presented with a solemn dining box. This lodge takes place in the English Club. And someone familiar, close, dear, is sitting at the end of the table. Yes it is! This is a benefactor. “Yes, he died? thought Pierre. - Yes, he died; but I didn't know he was alive. And how sorry I am that he died, and how glad I am that he is alive again! On one side of the table sat Anatole, Dolokhov, Nesvitsky, Denisov and others like him (the category of these people was just as clearly defined in Pierre’s soul in a dream, as was the category of those people whom he called them), and these people, Anatole, Dolokhov loudly shouted, sang; but behind their cry was heard the voice of the benefactor, speaking incessantly, and the sound of his words was as significant and continuous as the roar of the battlefield, but it was pleasant and comforting. Pierre did not understand what the benefactor was saying, but he knew (the category of thoughts was just as clear in the dream) that the benefactor spoke of goodness, of the possibility of being what they were. And they from all sides, with their simple, kind, firm faces, surrounded the benefactor. But although they were kind, they did not look at Pierre, did not know him. Pierre wanted to draw their attention to himself and say. He got up, but at the same instant his legs became cold and bare.

The serpent is a musical instrument with a name reminiscent of the word "serpentarium". However, one should not think that snakes were used in the manufacture of the tool, this is from the category of fantasy. The instrument got its name due to its external resemblance to a snake. Serpent belongs to the family of pipes, which is famous for its abundance and diversity. The trumpet is a brass musical instrument of the alto-soprano register, the highest in sound among brass wind instruments. As a signaling instrument, the natural trumpet has been used since ancient times, and from about the seventeenth century it became part of the orchestra. With the invention of the valve mechanism, the trumpet received a full chromatic scale and from the middle of the 19th century became a full-fledged instrument of classical music. The instrument has a bright, brilliant timbre and is used as a solo instrument, in symphony and brass bands, as well as in jazz and other genres. The serpent is also a wind instrument, the ancestor of several modern wind instruments.

The main part of the instrument is a tube with a serpentine curved shape. The tube is wide and conical. This form is not accidental: it is it that contributes to the soft sound that distinguishes the serpent. There are play holes on the tube. They are located approximately in the central part of the body, so that it is convenient for the musician to play by closing the holes with his fingers. Initially, the instrument had six playing holes arranged in groups of three, later three to five holes with valves were added. By not completely closing the holes, the performer extracted chromatically altered sounds. The pipe is crowned with a bowl-shaped mouthpiece, which distinguishes all wind instruments. A musician blows into it during the performance of various melodies.


The tonal range of the instrument is quite extensive - about three octaves. This allows you to perform not only software works on the serpent, but also various kinds of improvisations, which significantly increases the rating of the instrument.

The material from which the instrument is made is mainly wood, since the body is wooden. The mouthpiece is made from animal horn or ivory. In later designs, the mouthpiece began to be made of metal.

The serpent is quite different large size. Its total length can be up to three meters, which of course does not make it easy to transport the tool, but nevertheless, thanks to the curved design, transportation is not a problem.


Serpent refers to aerophones. This means that it produces sounds by means of the vibration of the air column. The sound generation scheme is simple: the musician blows, the air inside the body starts to oscillate. This is how sound is born.

France is considered the birthplace of the serpent. It was there that the first tool was designed. His "father" is Edme Guillaume, who lived in the sixteenth century.

He could not even imagine that his "child" would become mega-popular. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, the serpent was played in almost all of Europe. Initially, the instrument performed a purely accompanying function in a church environment, but in the eighteenth century its functions expanded - it was mainly a military sphere, as well as domestic use. Ordinary inhabitants learned to play the serpent, as it was fashionable and considered good form.
In the 19th century, the serpent was supplanted by the trombone and other instruments.
Now the tool has regained its former popularity. Many music lovers try to "tame" the serpent in order to please others with original music.