Adolf Sax's original saxophone

The saxophone, a single reed woodwind instrument. It is actually a combination of both a woodwind (in the sense that it makes use a single reed and a mouthpiece, much like that of a clarinet's) and a brass (because of its metal body) instrument. Most saxophones are curved at the end to resemble the bass clarinet, except the soprano saxophone, which is straight like a clarinet.

The most common saxophones are the soprano, the alto, the tenor and the baritone, all of which have a range of about two and a half octaves. The tone quality ranges from soft, flutelike, and mellow to brassy and metallic. There is a striking resemblance between the tone of the saxophone and that of the human voice which may be the reason why everybody wants to learn to play the sax. I remember when I first joined a school band, everybody wanted to play the saxophone and not other instruments because it was "cool." Little did they know the amount of work needed to coax soothing melodies out of this wonderful instrument.

The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolph Sax (hence the name Saxophone) in 1840. He wanted to design an instrument with greater power of expression. His idea was to combine the expressiveness of the strings together with the impetus of the brasses and the mellowness of the woodwinds. He seemed to have succeeded, because in 1842 Berlioz described the saxophone as "... an instrument whose tone colour is between that of the brass and the woodwinds. But it even reminds one, though more remotely, of the sound of strings." Sax intended it for both military bands and orchestras. He quickly produced its official adoption by the French Army and soon it spread to other countries.

Above is a graphical example of the different types of saxophones. Those with RealAudio can listen to short examples of saxophone music at the following links: 1. Bach's "Fugue" || 2. Doug Tally - "Above"

The saxophone was first introduced into the symphonic orchestra in 1844, orchestral parts included Bizet's "L'Arlesienne," Richard Strauss' "Sinfonica Domestica," Claude Debussy's " Rhapsody for Saxophone and Orchestra" and Heitor Villi-Lobos' " Fantasia for Saxophone and Orchestra." The saxophone had great flexibility, blending well with both brasses and woodwinds. However, it was not widely used as a concert instrument as musicians were slow in accepting anything new. In the 20th century, it was quite prominent in jazz, in which it was a principal vehicle for melodic improvisation. Its unrivalled power of expression and flexibility were the main reasons for its success in this field. Notable jazz saxophonists include Sidney Bechet, Charlie Parker and Lester Young.

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