Maker Name

Adolphe Sax

Maker Biography

Adolphe Sax (1814-1894) was a Belgium born woodwind and brass instrument maker who started his career working in his father’s workshop, where he demonstrated exceptional skills and craftsmanship. He was a noted inventor and player, with a great deal of literature surrounding his life, with much of it contradictory as he made many enemies throughout his life. Sax was notoriously litigious, and was known to produce his own versions of the ideas of others. Following this, many makers sued Sax, and for the remainder of his life he was involved in a number of litigations. The lawsuits bankrupted him twice – in 1856 and 1873, although he continued to press on with his work despite his financial difficulties. His two main inventions, the saxhorn and the saxophone, have become incredibly well used, both in military situations and as an embodiment of the spirit of ‘The Jazz Age.’

Other Information

Specific usage history: ex- Paris Opera (?).

Technical Description

6 valve independent. Technical description: Brass; final section of bell flare fitted to bell-pipe with flanged joint and secured with four small screws with cross-cut heads, the bell mouth can to rotated to point in any desired direction. The windway runs mouthpipe - m.t.s. - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - bell; operating any valve returns the windway to that valve via a short loop with a valve tuning-slide and cuts out all further valves from the windway. For use in B♭, the instrument would require a main tuning-slide extension piece or an alternative tuning-slide. Valve type: 6 Périnet-type independent piston valves, in usual two groups of three. Bottom-sprung; alignment by key on piston. Bottom caps have no vent hole; instead each valve has an air release passage running from bottom to top on the outside of the casing. Overall size: 868; bell 186. Sounding length: minimum 2551. Bore: mouthpipe at c 25mm from mouthpiece receiver (minimum bore) 11.8; m.t.s. at c 228mm and at c 347mm from mouthpiece receiver, tuning slide bore 15.1; 1st v.t.s. at c 757mm from mouthpiece receiver, tuning slide bore 15.1; 1st v.t.s. at c 785mm from mouthpiece receiver, tuning slide bore 16.7; (similar expansion in tuning slides of valves 2,3,4,5,6) 1276mm from bell end, c 24.6; c 926mm from bell end, 34.8. B = 0.48. Dia of mouthpiece receiver: m.r.t. 12.6 to 12.3 in first 6mm only. Performance characteristics: The instrument is very heavy compared with a 3-valve euphonium which would have the same compass. Usable pitch: Plays at A = 435Hz ( Diapason Normal). Inscribed on bell "No 35012 / Nouveau Saxorn" (sic) "Basse a 6 pistons / en Ut & Sib / Adolphe Sax Fteur Brevete / de la Mson Milre de l'Empereur / 50 rue St Georges a Paris / SEUL / GRAND PRIX / 1867" with monogram AS PARIS. Possible original tuning slide extension piece or an alternative tuning slide for Bb missing. One of the valve pistons is a replacement (1991). Illustration references: Brass Bulletin No 85, 1/1994, p.15; Bevan 2000, p.260; World Wide Web picture at http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/ Specific usage history: ex- Paris Opera (?)

Provenance

on loan to the Collection.