Reed contrabass

The reed contrabass (Italian: contrabbasso ad ancia; French: contrebasse à anche) is a metal double reed woodwind instrument in the bass-contrabass register, pitched in C. Although the bassoon-like double reed and metal construction make it superficially similar to a contrabass sarrusophone, it is descended from the ophicleide which it resembles in appearance, as well as in the arrangement of the simpler key work and fingering.

[1] The first reed contrabass was Czech maker Červený's Kontrafagott aus Metall design of 1856, which he also called the Tritonicon.

[2][3] It was further developed by the Belgian maker Mahillon, who in 1868 produced the contrebasse à anche for military bands in France and Italy.

[4] It was one of several attempts at the time to create a woodwind instrument in the contrabass register, attempts that would eventually lead to the contrabassoon by the turn of the 20th century.

[2] The instrument is typically of metal construction, with a conical and unusually wide bore.