History of the Sax

The word ‘saxophone’ literally means ‘the sound of Sax’. The instrument was invented by Adolphe Sax (1814 – 1894).

Sax was born in Dinant, Belgium but moved with his family to Brussels. He studied voice, flute and clarinet at the Brussels Conservatory and initially worked along side his father in his business. His father had trained as a furniture maker but adapted his skills so as to produce clarinets and brass instruments. Sax moved to Paris in 1842. His life was beset with difficulties including thefts and legal actions taken against him. He was twice declared bankrupt.

Sax is known not only for inventing the saxophone but also for inventing a brass family of instruments known as saxhorns. These are valve instruments played with a cup mouthpiece and were made in 7 pitches.

The saxophone is considered by many to be a hybrid instrument. It is made from a conical bore tube with key work and played using a single reed. Most instruments are made from plated or lacquered brass. It is possibly one of the most versatile instruments. It is capable of wide range of sounds and effects and suits many musical genres. It can be used as a solo instrument as well as complimenting ensembles. As well as there being an increasing number of dedicated saxophone ensembles of various sizes, it is also used extensively by wind bands and big/dance bands.

The usual family of instruments comprises:

• Sopranino (pitched in Eb) – used primarily in specialist saxophone ensembles.

• Soprano (pitched in Bb) – usually heard as the top instrument in a saxophone quartet. One of its early exponents was the jazz artist Sidney Bechet.

• Alto (Eb) – probably the most commonly seen saxophone. It is often the instrument
  of choice for early learning. It is capable of great variety. It was the first saxophone to be included in the symphony orchestra. It can be heard in Bizet’s L’Arlessienne and Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast and many other works. There are also many solo works including Glazunov’s concerto. Charlie Parker (1920 – 1955) is famous for his jazz use of the alto in bebop.

• Tenor (Bb) – regarded by many as the most exciting jazz instrument. Among many famous jazz soloists, Coleman Hawkins in the 1930s and John Coltrane in the 1950s are probably two of the most noted. The tenor is also occasionally used in orchestras. It can be heard in Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.

• Baritone (Eb) – most commonly heard as the bass instrument of the saxophone quartet. The baritone is now becoming more popular as a solo instrument. Gerry Mulligan who mainly recorded in the 1950s was one of the earliest players to explore the potential of the baritone.

• Bass (Bb) – mainly heard in saxophone ensembles. However soloists such as Adrian Rollini and Harry Gould have made extensive use of the bass in jazz work.

Other pitches of saxophone have been used over the years eg C melody. These were popular for playing directly from song sheets as no transposition was required. There is also the rarely used Eb contrabass saxophone which stands about 6 feet tall.

More recently variants of saxophones have been manufactured. These include an instrument designed to play higher than the sopranino. This is called the soprillo and is pitched in Bb. There is also the Tubax, a modern hybrid, which can be used instead of a contrabass saxophone.