Interesting Facts About The Saxophone That You Didn't Know

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As one of the oldest musical instruments, the history of the saxophone is not too strange. However, it has done its job well to become one of the most popular musical instruments in the world. You'll find it in school jazz bands, sometimes in a classical orchestra, and on pop artists' stages in front of tens of thousands of spectators. It is truly a versatile instrument.

In this post we will look at some interesting facts about saxophone

1. The creator of the saxophone is considered an unlucky man

Adolphe Sax

Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone moved to Paris in 1842 and patented the saxophone in 1846. Some would say it was a miracle he lived to do it. However, he was considered an unlucky man because his life was filled with near-death encounters. For example, when he was three years old, he fell three times on the stairs and was almost comatose for the next week. He was then hit in the head by a slate and fell into a coma again. When Sax was 10 years old, he was found lying face down in a river unconscious, but this time he woke up a few hours later. As a child, he swallowed a large needle that could pass through without puncturing any organs. He even fell into a burning furnace next to the gunpowder container when it exploded, fell out of a third-story window and drank the poison three times.

2. Saxophone was patented very late because of fear of design theft

Although it is not known when Adolphe Sax first introduced the saxophone to the world, the original performance at the 1844 Paris Industrial Exhibition is well documented. Sax played a solo for the audience from behind the curtain! He has yet to patent the instrument and fears others will copy his design.

3. There were fourteen different versions of the saxophone

four versions of saxophone

Adolphe Sax is the son of an instrument maker and plays quite well himself. His version of the bass clarinet was so impressive that he was introduced to many other instrument makers in Paris.

He invented a number of different musical instruments, including the "saxhorn", a valved trumpet that is actually the basis for the modern euphonium. Never short of ideas, Sax invented fourteen different saxophones on his own.

4. Saxophone has many types

The four standard saxophones are Bb soprano, Eb alto, Bb tenor, and Eb baritone (commonly known as "bari"). The largest commercially produced "standard" sax is the contrabass. Sax planned the biggest saxophone one could play - the subcontrabass sax. It was not until 2013 that this model was built. The smallest saxophone, 30.5 cm tall and an octave higher than the soprano Bb, is the “sopranissimo”.

5. There is a conspiracy against Sax

Adolphe Sax tried to send the saxophone to the Belgian National Exhibition at a young age. It was recommended for a gold medal for several years, but was never ultimately chosen because the committee deemed Sax too young for the honor.

The last time he entered was in 1841, when he was 27 years old. The modern alto sax was the favorite instrument to eventually win, but a competitor kicked the model to get in.

When Sax became famous in France, his opponents threatened to destroy him at all times. They threatened to sue, write offensive articles and try to organize a boycott of his instruments.

Eventually, these competitors formed an official organization called “L’Association Générale des Ouvriers en Instruments Demusique,” or “Unified Association of Instrument Manufacturers.”

They even sent saxophones to foreign musical instrument manufacturers asking that Sax's trademark be stripped and rebranded so they could claim his patent was fraudulent.

Apparently the Society was jealous of Sax's success and recognition, as many of them began producing their own saxophones when Sax's patent expired.

6. A versatile instrument

The saxophone is a brass/wood hybrid that brings the characteristics of both instruments to its sound. The range of the saxophone family is huge, so the blend sound and versatility of this trumpet make it a prominent member of many ensembles.

The saxophone is perhaps most recognized in jazz bands, where soloists can shine and partially support other instruments. It is also widely used in concert bands, marching bands, military bands, and even saxophone-only bands.

Despite being a relatively new instrument, we can still find its sound in orchestras or classical works. For example, a number of French classical composers, such as Jacques Ibert, Hector Berlioz and Jean-Marie Londeix wrote beautiful classical saxophone repertoires.

7. Saxophone became popular in military bands

In the early 1800s, French military music declined in quality and popularity. To help strengthen the position of military music, the French government created a competition for inventors of musical instruments. In April 1845, twenty thousand people gathered to hear the finalists perform.

Two different instrumental bands performed the same piece, and the Sax band won overwhelmingly. In August, the French military awarded Sax a contract to supply his instruments.

8. Saxophone related to Clarinet

The saxophone and the clarinet share some similarities in terms of fingers, but the saxophone's fingers are much easier to learn. The clarinet has a key that increases the pitch of the note by 1/12, which means that a clarinetist must learn different fingerings for notes in the high and low octaves.

All saxophones have octave keys, which means that the fingering for most notes is the same at different octaves.

9. Famous saxophonist

There are quite a few people who have played the saxophone, including many famous people:

- US President Bill Clinton started playing the saxophone at the age of 9.

- British comedian Hugh Laurie may be better known as a pianist than a saxophone player, but he and his son both play saxophones!

- Bob Hope sometimes plays the saxophone in his comedies.

- Cricket captain Alastair Cook played a solo for the soundtrack of a BBC series.

10. Saxophone has a lot of keys

The saxophone has six parts (trumpets, lanyard, mouthpiece, neck strap, neck, and stem/speaker), but the only part with keys is the body. Most saxophones have 22 keys, although some beginner models may have only 20 keys.

Bari saxophones often have a low A key, bringing their total to 23.