Serpent (instrument) also appears in operatic scores by Spontini and Bellini, but it was replaced in the 19th century by a fully keyed brass instrument, the ophicleide, and later on by valved bass brass instruments such as the euphonium and tuba. After that the serpent dropped off in popularity for a period of time. Bernard Herrmann used a serpent in the scores of "White Witch Doctor" (1953) and "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (1959), as did Jerry Goldsmith in his score for "Alien" (1979). In the 1970s, instrument-maker Christopher Monk began playing, and later making Serpents, and in 1976 he
American Brass Quintet trumpet, Eric Reed on French horn, Michael Powell on tenor trombone, and John Rojak on bass trombone. American Brass Quintet When the American Brass Quintet gave its first public performance on December 11, 1960, brass chamber music was still relatively young to concert audiences. The Chicago Brass Quintet had originated the concept of a brass quintet in 1948, followed by the New York Brass Quintet in 1954. To delineate itself from these other two groundbreaking ensembles American Brass Quintet dedicated itself to "music originally written for brass," and substituted a bass trombone for the conventional tuba voice. That debut concert