Less happier

He was expert both in the reconstruction and the playing of early wind instruments, avocations which which united his scholarly concern for authenticity  with his eccentric relish for curiosity. The largest of these was the anaconda serpent which appealed to his sense of humour and is so large that the player has to sit in front of its towering coils.    In 1967 he formed The London serpent trio which travelled widely and in1989 there was an international Serpent Festival in Colombia, South Carolina, to which "all known or suspected serpent players were invited.  At the Serpent Trio's he always wore his heavy tweed Scottish morning coat, regardless of the heat attending less happier lands.

Obituary Christopher Monk  (1921-1991), Daily Telegraph , 25th July, 1991