The Story of the Saxophone

A relatively modern instrument with origins in 19th-century France, the saxophone is now most closely associated with jazz. However, it is also featured in classical music, pop, rock and roll, funk, and more. But where did this remarkable instrument come from?

Unlike most woodwind instruments, the saxophone doesn’t have a clear predecessor. It shares a single-reed mouthpiece with the clarinet but features a finger system similar to that of the flute. Some believe it evolved from the ophicleide, a tuba-like instrument from the Romantic period.

Adolphe Sax & The Saxophone

While its origins are difficult to pinpoint, the modern saxophone was developed in the early 1840s and patented in 1846 by the Belgian Adolphe Sax. After studying at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, Adolphe moved to Paris to develop new instruments. While trying to improve the bass clarinet, he created an instrument that combined the speed and agility of the flute and clarinet with the powerful projection of brass instruments, leading to the birth of the saxophone.

The Saxophone Family

The four most commonly played saxophones are the baritone, tenor, alto, and soprano, but there are many types of saxophones in the saxophone family. All saxophones are transposing instruments. The alto and baritone saxophones are pitched in E flat, while the tenor and soprano are in B flat. This means that when an alto or baritone saxophone plays a C, it sounds like an E flat on the piano, while a tenor or soprano’s C sounds like a B flat.

Adolphe Sax initially designed 14 types of saxophones, including models in F and C, but the B-flat and E-flat versions became the most widely used. One exception was the C melody saxophone, a concert-pitch instrument between the alto and tenor range. Popular in the early 20th century, it enabled musicians to read music using the same keys as the piano, violin, or flute without requiring transposition. However, its popularity faded after the 1930s and is now rarely used.

The Saxophone in Music

Classical Music

Adolphe Sax originally designed the saxophone for orchestras, but military bands quickly embraced it, and it never became a standard orchestral instrument. However, during the late 19th and 20th centuries, several compositions featuring the saxophone were written either as a solo instrument or within an ensemble.

Jazz Music

While jazz gained popularity in New Orleans during the 1920s, early jazz bands were led by trumpets, with clarinets and trombones playing key roles. At the same time, the saxophone was often relegated to the background. That changed in the 1920s and ’30s when Coleman Hawkins helped establish the tenor saxophone as a key jazz instrument. With the rise of the Swing era, big bands featured multiple saxophonists, solidifying their place in jazz. From then on, the saxophone played a central role in every significant jazz movement, with legends like Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, and Ornette Coleman shaping its legacy.

Popular Music

The saxophone's expressive sound made it a perfect match for the rhythm and blues bands of the 1940s, with musicians like Louis Jordan delivering catchy, riff-based solos that showcased the instrument's versatility. This style helped shape rock and roll, ska, and funk, where horn sections became a staple of these genres. In the 1970s and ’80s, pop music frequently featured saxophone solos as instrumental breaks between vocal sections.

Live Jazz Music at Maxan Jazz in Las Vegas

It might not have become a core part of the orchestra in the way that Adolphe Sax hoped it would. Still, in a relatively short time, the versatile saxophone has become one of the world’s most popular instruments, especially in Jazz. At Maxan Jazz in Las Vegas, you can find various jazz performers with multiple instruments, from the piano to the saxophone. Check our calendar and call to book a reservation today!