Serpents

Buccin - Serpent-Head Trombone

Barcalona, Spain
Western Europe

Early 19th Century

The buccin was a popular military trombone-type instrument in France, Belgium, and Italy, between 1810 to 1845. Parades and outdoor civic festivals were an important part of the French cultural life following the French Revolution in 1789. Trombones with a bell terminating in a stylized zoomorphic serpent head, visually appealed to the crowds as the band members passed by. This buccin is missing the slide, which is often lost. The two heads retain their original hand-painted colors of vivid red, green, and gold. Stamped: DE-Musica-Barcalona-SERVAREGGI---FTE.---DE---CAVARA--DE—S. There is also a crown stamped over a shield surrounded by a reef of vines, with markings inside the shield. The French Romantic composer, Louis Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) scored for the buccin in the “Kyrie” and “Resurrexit” of his Messe solennelle of 1824. The International Trombone Association has the buccin for its logo. This buccin appeared on the front cover of “Keynote Magazine,” August, 1980 issue.

Owner:
Catalog#: HWMC