The Saxophone
The saxophone has stayed invented from Adolphe Sax (from which the sax has taken the name) toward the 1840. It is a wind instrument in brass of the family of the "woods" (in reason of his reed), from the conic-parabolic form, endowed with holes that closen is been able to through buffers in skin. Is composed from a flared bell, from the breech and from the body, in which comes to get jammed and settle down the crook. The mouthpiece provided of reed adjusts to the muff of cork glued to the extreme smaller part than the crook. The sound has caused from a simple reed, tongue of reed fixed under the mouthpiece from a binding: the reed has put in vibration from the puff of the instrumentalist that beats against the mouthpiece. There is different kind of reeds that varies according to their flexibility.
The more sought-after reed grows in the Mediterraneo, particularly in the department of Var, in the environs of Fréjus.
Like the flute, the oboe and the basson, the saxophone is "ottavante": that is due to the fact that the knots come to form in the central point of the vibrations.
The saxophone has appeared for the first time in concert in a work of Hector Berlioz, February 3 1844. A year later had introduced in the military gangs. Adolphe Sax taught the saxophone to conservatory from Paris from the 1858 at 1870, this class was unfortunately dam for economic motives. Will need wait the 1942 for his reopening on new bases, thank you to Claude Delvincourt and above all to Marcel Mule, the authoritative founder of a classical school of admired saxophone and follows in all the world. Is Georges Bizet that has employed for first with happened the saxophone, in the 1873, after of him Georges Kastner, Ambroise Thomas and Jules Massenet, Richard Strauss, Ravel, Shoenberg, Berg, Bernstein Gershwin and other.
In the world of the Jazz the saxophone has had big popularity, particularly after the years '30 with the advent of the big Big Band, in which the power and the versatility of this instrument was used with big effect from arrangers like Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. And it is in this period that the first big soloists like Coleman Hawkins and Lester Joung starts to emerge, and they start to have appreciated the potentialities of the saxophone in the express the individual differences for the quality of the sound.
The complete family of the saxophones understands seven models. From the lower note than the contrabbasso saxophone to the more acute one than the sopranino, there is an enormous sonorous staircase, like that of the piano less ca. 20 notes.
The saxophones more employees (that they between the other form the "quartet of saxophones" of the classical music) am:
Like the clarinet, also the saxophone ignores the double and the triple hit of language (the repetitions too rapid of the same sound have not allowed). The extension of the four models is about the same. They have all the same fingering and they read in treble clef:
The soprano saxophone in B flat presents of the difficulties of employment, particularly way for the intonation. He is but very fast and his particular sonority finds the best expression when he has used for replace the human voice. Very used in the Contemporary Jazz and in the Fusion.
The alto saxophone in E flat is the instrument for excellence of the Jazz. A name on all: Charlie Parker
The tenor saxophone in B flat, from the stamp more fleshier in the lower tone like in those acute, he is a little bit fewer virtuoso than the alto saxophone, but likewise melodious. Much used in the Jazz but also in the Rock music. We could tell that he has become "the Saxophone" for best part of the people.
The baritone saxophone in E flat, unfortunately, has employed rarely. E' a sin deprive of a instrument so expressive, from the tones and from the stamps so pleasant, that he has in more a facility of issue not common between the intruments so low.
The saxophones are of the "traspositors" intruments. This means that the name of the written note is not the same of what you are listened to, and that is:
How do be played?
The soprano and sopranino saxophones are held like the clarinet: in front of the performer, the left hand toward the tall part of the saxophone, the right hand toward the lower part. For play the saxophones you will be used a collar that, past around the neck, will be useful for supporting the instrument. The alto saxophone is played holding it in front of the performer, slightly tilted right verse. The tenor and baritone saxophones are played tilted clearly toward the right of the performer. The fingering are the same for all the saxophones. Like for the soprano and sopranino saxophones, the left hand will have put toward the top, the right hand toward the lower part.
