The Saxophone

There are several different types of saxophones and they are:

• Soprano in E flat
  
• Soprano in B flat
  
• Alto in E flat
  
• Tenor in B flat
  
• Baritone in E flat
  
• Bass in B flat
  

The first saxphone was made by Adolphe Sax in 1841 and resembled an Ophicleide except with a metal body. It was called a saxphone basse en cuivre until 1842 when it obtained the name saxophone.

The first saxophone, the bass sax, was not performed in a piece until December 1, 1844 in Kastner's opera Le dernier roi de Juda.

Adolphe Sax did not get a patent for the new instrument family until March 21, 1846.

French composers praised the invention of the saxphone because its wealth of sound placed it beyond comparison with other musical instruments in use at the time.

Kastner said that Adolphe Sax had created "an instrument with an entirely new sound-powerful, far-reaching, expressive and beautiful. With its unique tonal quality, it offers the best imaginable link between the very high voices of the orchestra and the very weak ones or those with a very uneven timbre... Uniting strength and charm, it does not drown out the one kind and cannot be drowned out by the other-it is a perfect instrument.

The instrument was free to general development in 1866.

The saxophone has grown in popularity since the 1960s and has been included in pop and rock music.