Busschop's Chasse for 4 horns, keyed bugle, and
ophicleide is performed with four natural horns whose blend, with the two chromatic instruments of that day, the keyed bugle and the
ophicleide, make a very novel sounding ensemble.
A second copyist's score, probably made about the middle of the century in Exeter, lacks parts for two of the four trumpets, serpent,
ophicleide and organ.
The thing here is that it's from the always-reliable Sir Charles Mackerras, and it's done on period instruments, with the novelty of an original
ophicleide replacing the modern tuba.
The bass instruments include the valved tenor horn (also a virtuoso solo instrument), the bombardon, the
ophicleide, the serpent, the bass tuba (which only became successful when built with a much wider bore than the earliest models), and the Wagner tuba.
It included instrumentation such as: trumpet, trombone,
ophicleide (figle), first and second clarinet, first and second violin, timbal, and guiro.
Rasping horns, narrow-bore trombones and a sturdy, compact
ophicleide (ancestor of the tuba) cut through the textures, and the athletic chorus, meticulous in its diction, delivered the text almost as a gripping page-turner narrative.
Almeida, who performed on
ophicleide and trombone, played with some of the great players of choro during the early decades of the twentieth century, including Anacleto de Medeiros and the father of Pixinguinha.
A clearer and more extended view of the
ophicleide and serpent are presented in the video of Gardiner conducting his original instrument orchestra in the Symphonie fantastique).
Although the (by then Cuban) nineteenth-century contradanza was initially performed by an ensemble called tipico (two violins, two clarinets, one double bass, one trumpet, one trombone,
ophicleide, Cuban pailas, and guiro), this ensemble was gradually replaced by the charanga francesa, based on the "French" trio to which Cuban percussion instruments, three violins, one flute, one 'cello, and one double bass were added.
The instrumentation for the military bands included cornets, clarinets, tubas,
ophicleides and percussion.
Instruments played in other bands included flutes, bassoons, key bugles, French horns,
ophicleides, serpents, bass horns, tenor and bass drums, cymbals tambourines and triangles(1).
Ratner's survey of the opera's instrumentation reveals a remarkably large brass section, including two natural and two chromatic horns, two chromatic trumpets and two cornets a pistons, four trombones, and two
ophicleides, as well as a large percussion ensemble, including timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, glockenspiel.
