Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A keyed brass instrument of the bugle family with a baritone range that was the structural precursor of the bass saxophone and was replaced by the tuba in orchestras.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A metal musical wind-instrument, invented about 1790, having a large tube of conical bore, bent double, with a cupped mouthpiece. It is essentially a development of the old wooden serpent, and has sometimes been made partly of wood; it is the bass representative of the keyed-bugle family. The tones produced are the harmonics of the tube, as in the horn; but the fundamental tone may be altered by means of keys which control vents in the side of the tube. Eleven such keys are employed, so that the entire compass is over three octaves, beginning (in the usual bass variety) on the third B below the middle C, with all the semitones — all obtainable with exceptional accuracy of intonation. Its resources are therefore considerable, and as its tone is highly resonant and pungent it is an important orchestral instrument. The alto ophicleide is pitched a fifth higher than that described above, while lower varieties also occur.
- n. In organ-building, a powerful reed stop with a trumpet-like tone.
Wiktionary
- n. music A keyed brass baritone bugle, now replaced by the tuba in orchestral music
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Mus.) A large brass wind instrument, formerly used in the orchestra and in military bands, having a loud tone, deep pitch, and a compass of three octaves; -- now generally supplanted by bass and contrabass tubas. It developed from the older wooden instrument called the
serpent .
Etymologies
- French : Greek ophis, snake (from its resemblance to the serpent, a musical instrument) + Greek klēis, klēid-, key. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“The Washington Cathedral has an ophicleide stop; the Central Synagogue in New York has one labeled "shofar.”
The Washington Post: In Washington for convention, organists pull out all the stops
“The wooden serpent has gone out of use in military bands within recollection, the ophicleide from orchestras only recently.”
“A Parisian instrument maker, Halary, in 1817, made this a complete instrument, after the manner of the keyed bugle of Halliday, and producing it in brass called it the ophicleide, from two Greek words meaning serpent and keys -- keyed serpent -- although it was more like a keyed bass bugle.”
“Like an ophicleide," said Gerfaut, who could not help laughing at the importance the artist attached to his display of talent.”
“The application of keys to the bugle produced the Kent bugle, and later the ophicleide.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria"
“In the ophicleide, the bass of the key-bugle, the bore is sufficiently wide to produce the fundamentals of a satisfactory quality.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria"
“The bugle with its double development by means of keys into Royal Kent bugle and ophicleide, and by means of valves into saxhorns and tubas, formed the nucleus of brass bands of all countries during the greater part of the 19th century.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria"
“Singular as was this feat, it was far less so than a young man's performance of the ophicleide, a serpentine instrument that coiled round and about its player, and when breathed into persuasively gave forth prodigious brassy sounds that resembled the night-noises of beasts of prey.”
“Is that the ophicleide as thy father used to play at th 'owd church?”
“This item roused the Indian god from his umbilical contemplations, and as the young ophicleide player, somewhat breathless, passed down the room with his brazen creature in his arms, Mr Enoch”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ophicleide’.
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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phrontistery - o
from phrontistery.info
oakum, oakus, oast, obambulate, obdormition, obduracy, obedible, obedientiary, obeism, obeliscolychny, obelize, obelus and 504 more...
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Logolepsy
"Luciferous Logolepsy is a collection of over 9,000 obscure English words. Though the definition of an 'English' word might seem to be straightforward, it is not. There exist so many adopted, deriv...
Anschauung, Areopagus, Argus, Briarean, Dei gratia, Dei judicium, Deo volente, Duecento, Foehn, Geflugelte Worte, Gegenschein, Hakenkreuz and 9230 more...
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Old, odd, or rare Western musical Ins...
preferably never listed or listed once or twice
clavicytherium, cymbalom, crumhorn, chitarrone, tromba marina, marine trumpet, lira da braccio, lirone, portative organ, positive organ, vielle, organistrum and 12 more...
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words found to be generally pleasing
alabaster, mahogany, camphor, coalesce, spire, portmanteau, gadabout, palaver, dolor, dour, dun, luminesce and 610 more...
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words that make me happy inside
amanuensis, inamorata, armigerous, yurt, fugacious, ephemeral, gambit, defenestration, orotund, toper, teuchter, apostasy and 90 more...
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bintalshamsa's list
My Favorite Words
weltschmerz, perspicacity, idée fixe, invigilator, salubrious, tchotchke, ex nihilo, invidious, malapropism, naïve, sardonic, elide and 1401 more...
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Resounding Words
great timbre
sone, sonata, resound, sonorous, consonant, unison, sonic, swan, sonant, sonnet, dissonance, scraunch and 142 more...
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Pull out the stops
Organ stops, that is.
diapason, clarabella, dulciana, bourdon, reed stop, flue stop, violoncello, suabe flute, waldflute, rackett, pyramidon, querflöte and 106 more...
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Eine kleine Wörterwunderkammer
Verbal curios, because of their meaning, their shape, or their history.
phlogiston, tisane, ptisan, phthisis, fimbulwinter, zarf, mono no aware, woodwose, psychopomp, jabot, chatelaine, tappen and 82 more...
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rgbrooks's Words
crepuscular, zilch, azimuth, ancillary, hirsute, rutilated, perfect-bound, pickle, recalcitrant, posthaste, ophicleide, palindrome and 2 more...
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yummy words
ophicleide, bibliography, latitude, attitude, resplendant, palindrome
Tweets
Looking for tweets for ophicleide.
hernesheir
chromatic bullock, indeed. Dec 9, 2011
ruzuzu "It is essentially a development of the old wooden serpent, and has sometimes been made partly of wood; it is the bass representative of the keyed-bugle family." --CD Apr 14, 2011
shevek A rather cumbersome 19th century keyed brass instrument of the bass register, rather like a baritone saxophone with a trombone mouthpiece.
I actually saw one of these for sale in a Boston music store last year. It came with a fingering chart. Sep 2, 2008
elisheba interesting one, thank you! :-) Sep 2, 2008
frindley Unkindly known in Victorian times as the chromatic bullock. Mendelssohn requires one in his overture and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream. It does Bottom's braying beautifully. Sep 1, 2008