ophicleide

In music, an obsolete brass instrument of the bugle family. It was a development of the serpent, patented by Halary in Paris in 1821, and was played with fingered keys and a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Although there were alto, bass, and double bass variants, only the bass model, with its compass of about three octaves, was commonly used, until superseded by the bass tuba. It was used in military bands and in the orchestral scores of composers including Berlioz, Verdi, and Wagner.