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A Hint of Sax

© Chris Mindel

While searching through antique stores, I found something interesting. An old series called the University Musical Encyclopedia. It was published by The University Society, Inc. in 1912. The chief editor is Louis C. Elson from the New England Conservatory of Music. Other noted contributors are Nellie Melba (Operatic Soprano, and where melba toast derives its name), Sir C. Hubert H. Parry (Director of the Royal College of Music, London), William Shakespeare (singer and vocal instructor, not the playwright), and John Philip Sousa (composer, bandleader, etc.) Actually, it is unfair of me to single out this few, since all of the contributors have extremely high credentials.

In Volume I: History of Music/Instrument Vol. I, there is a small section called, "XII. A Relative of the Clarinet: The Saxophone." [pp. 313-315] This is the reason I bought this book; though after reading some of the rest of the sections, I plan to hunt down the entire series!

Here are the interesting parts. "The chief saxophones are the soprano in B-flat; the alto in E-flat; the tenor in B-flat; and the bass in E-flat or B-flat." [p.314] To my knowledge, there is no bass in E-flat. I think that they are referring to the baritone in E-flat. Why this terminology change? I don't know!

Going on: "The tone is inferior to that of the clarinet in quality...."[p. 314] Will everyone who disagrees with this statement please raise your hands. My... so many of you. I don't know why this was written, but we must remember that the saxophone was still a relatively new instrument. On the same page is a quote from Berlioz, which is interesting. "...it [the saxophone] is soft and penetrating in the upper registers, full and rich in the lower, and in the medium profoundly expressive; it has vague analogies with the cello, clarinet, and cor anglais, with, however, a brazen tinge." Remember, Berlioz was friends with Adolphe Sax, and one of the best orchestrators ever!

Two other interesting tidbits from page 315. "Kastner introduced it [the sax, again] into the orchestra in 1844, at Paris, in his opera 'Le dernier roi de Juda.'" And: "Its value as a solo instrument, supported by trombones or by the cor anglais, as in the ghost scene in [Ambroise] Thomas's 'Hamlet,' is great; for it produces just the weird impression appropriate to the situation." This statement puzzles me. Is it inferring that the saxophone is only good as a solo instrument if it is supported by others? And/or is it inferring that the saxophone is good only for "weird" sounds? I don't know. But at least

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