On your long list of famous Belgians the name of Adolphe Sax should appear high. There is some doubt about exactly when he invented the instrument he named after himself: the late 1830s is probable. By that time most of the wind instruments in the standard symphony orchestra had reached a stage of technical development that allowed composers to write for them with a very full range of expression and virtuosity, and few saw the need to add yet another member of the family; some, however, immediately recognised the potential of the saxophone (Berlioz was publicly praising it by 1842), though even today it is still considered more an affiliated than a full member of the modern classical orchestra.
The present contribution to this excellent series of essays on various instruments gives a brief account of Sax’s life and his strenuous efforts to get his invention accepted by serious musicians and his patents protected. It is only in the twentieth century that the saxophone has achieved popularity and then chiefly by dance bands and jazz ensembles though also by classical composers in orchestral and chamber works.
The editor contributes a chapter on the saxophone quartet: he plays in one himself. The technical chapter, with good illustrations, is exemplary and explains, among much else, how different mouthpieces can make quite different sounds on the instrument. There is a section on influential soloists who seem to be mainly French and American though a few British players are mentioned. The Garde Republicaine as a nursery for players appears prominently, and so does one of the nurslings, Marcel Mule; that is entirely proper.
The freelance Chris “Snake” Davis contributes a wry chapter on the life of a studio player, reminding us of (but not quoting) Session Man Blues: “The voice on the blower just said “They want me to play on the afternoon after I’m dead”. Jazz and rock are given separate sections to themselves as would be expected for such important parts of the saxophonist’s repertoire, and there is also a chapter on the contemporary avant‐garde use of the instrument showing how the extremities of technique can be exploited. Finally there are sections on musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) wind instruments, on teaching and a very reasonable bibliography and an index. Altogether this is a generous overview of the history, capabilities and repertoire of a versatile instrument.
