It’s the mellow sound of this musical instrument that keeps me coming back to it after the initial attraction of the name. (Be sure to click on the recording at the link.)
Today, I believe, the serpent survives in the form of the euphonium, or baby tuba, having gained some tubing and seen it rather drastically compressed into a much smaller space.
What popular number has the mellow tone of the Serpent-Euphonium ever played, you might ask? Try Jean-Joseph Mouret’s (1682-1738) “Rondeau” from his Symphonies and Fanfares for the King’s Supper.
Better known as the theme from Masterpiece Theater.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 