Adolphe Sax

Antoine-Joseph Sax better known under the name of Adolphe Sax (November 6th 1814 Dining with , Belgium - February 4th 1894 with Paris) is a factor of Belgian Musical instrument Walloon, especially known to have invented the Saxophone.

His/her father, Charles Joseph Sax, which was already itself a factor of instrument, brought various changes to the Hunting horn.

Adolphe started to manufacture his own instruments very young person, by presenting two Flûte S and a Clarinette to a contest at the 15 years age. He studied then these two instruments at the Royal School of song of Brussels. He becomes a Master of the clarinet so much so that he is interdict of contest in his country .

After having left the school, Sax starts to try out new types of instruments, while his/her father continues to produce conventional instruments in order to remain.

The first important invention of Adolphe is an improvement of the low Clarinette that it brevette at the 20 years age.

In 1841, it moves with Paris and starts to work on a new whole of instruments which will be presented there in 1844. There are Bugle S with keys and, although it did not invent the instrument itself, its specimens are so higher than those of its rivals than they start to be known under the name of horns of Sax or Saxhorn. They today are usually used in the Fanfare S and the orchestras of harmony.

Adolphe Sax also deals with the invention of instrument which will make it famous: the Saxophone. It specifies its intentions in its patent: “It is known that, in general, the wind instruments are or too hard or too soft in their sonorities”. He wanted to create “an instrument which by the character of its voice could approach the string instruments, but which had more force and of intensity that its last” (French Patent N° 3226 of March 21st, 1846).

His/her large friend Jules Demersseman, flutist of reputation and fertile type-setter, composed of many parts for saxophone. Thanks to him, this new instrument is emphasized and is recognized little by little.

The Compositeur Hector Berlioz favorably writes on this new instrument in 1842. Berlioz, moreover, composes very first work with saxophone, it acts of Hymn for sextet with wind. The instrument is Brevet E only in 1846, after Sax drew and exposed a complete series of saxophones - Soprano saxophone to the Saxophone baritone. These instruments make its reputation and ensure to him a post of teacher to the conservatory of Paris in 1857.

The Wagnerian Tuba was invented in 1876, at the request of Richard Wagner which wanted an instrument having a sonority between the French horn and the Saxhorn in order to play the topic of Walhalla in the opera the Ring of Nibelung . Sax would have even given him the name of Wagnerian tuba to its instrument, although this name is not very representative of the instrument which comes rather from a deformation of the horn that tuba.

Sax continues thereafter to manufacture instruments, at the same time as it directs the new class of saxophone to the academy of Paris.

He dies in 1894 with Paris and is buried with the Cimetière of Montmartre.

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