| Saxophone
is probably the most expressive instrument next to the human voice. It
was created over one hundred and fifty years ago. It was named after its
creator, Adolphe Sax. He lived in Brussels, Belgium. His father was an
instrument maker and Adolphe learned the how to make instruments when he
was very young. At age six, Sax can drill the body of a clarinet,
and later went on to produce some of the finest specimens of flutes, clarinets,
and other instruments, of his time. He also learned to play all the
instruments because he had to test them all when he made them. But
one day he decided to create an instrument that bridged the gap between
the sounds of the string instruments (such as the violin and viola), the
sounds of the wodwinds (such as the flute and clarinet) and the sounds
of the brass instruments (such as trumpet and tuba) which often overpowered
the other instruments. His goal was for the new instrument to have "the
flexibility of the strings, the tonal variety of the woodwinds" and "the
power of the brasses." The details of how the saxophone was created
are not known, as Sax did not write about them. But to construct first
saxophone he used a cone-shaped brass tube for the body of the instrument
and a mouthpiece with a reed of woody material. And the first Saxophone
was born, when Adolphe was just twenty years old This first saxophone is
a C bass saxophone. It was patented on March 20, 1846 and has since impressed
many who have heard it with its versatility and tonal beauty It was
soon used in pieces by many composers of the time.
Composers in Sax's time were very impressed with the saxophone. Hector Berlioz came to see the C bass saxophone. He was pleased with the instrument's unique tone and control of dynamics. Many other composers have written for it since. Later, Adolphe Sax eventually created 14 different sizes of saxophones, and five remain in use today. They are, from the largest instrument with the lowest sound to the smallest instrument with the highest sound, are bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano saxophone. Early in its history, the saxophone was utilized in music for orchestra and band. Composers who used the saxophone in orchestral music include Massenet, Richard Strauss, Bizet and Prokofiev. To introduce the saxophone into the band, Adolphe challenged the leader of the French Army Bands to a sort of competition against his own band, which (surprise!) included |
saxophones. This "battle of the bands" drew a huge crowd and of course
Sax's band won. As a result, the saxophone was added to the French Army
Bands and the practice spread throughout Europe and to the United States.
But because of the jealousy of rival instrument makers and musicians who
did not want to change, the saxophone never became a standard instrument
in symphony orchestras. Later on, jazz music created a smaller bore mouthpiece
to give the saxophone a very loud sound and one that would not blend in
an orchestra. The saxophone can play with a sound as obnoxious as any distorted
electric guitar or with the clarity and sensitivity of a flute. Jazz has
use for an instrument that can change tones to go along with different
styles, and no other instrument can do that as well as the saxophone.
The saxophone's use is not only jazz, however. It was only conceived to
have the instrument play jazz after it was almost eighty years old. Its
tone is just as usable in classical music.
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